P2 Recovery
by miss37
Summary: Sequel to "P1 Closure". Mac is trying to recover from being struck by lightning and he is finding that it will be a long road as all his symptoms come to the surface. Can he overcome them this time? And while he is dealing with his symptoms, he is faced with a shocking and desperate situation that could cost Christine her life plus his job is in jeopardy.
1. Chapter 1

Mac Taylor got out of the hospital after being there for a week. He had been struck by lightning while he and his new wife Christine were in the mountains on their honeymoon. Two men had broken into their cabin intending to kidnap them for a woman whom they had found out was none other than Peyton Driscoll. Mac did not know that yet because they had not wanted him to know yet. He was going through therapy and would continue to do so.

Christine had gotten all her things moved into Mac's apartment while he was in the hospital. She frowned at the thought of that. They had intended to do that together and it was all taken away from them but she was just glad it was over because Mac would be going through a long recovery period. He had a lot of trouble with balance, headaches, dizziness and he had a hard time remembering things. Not only that, but when he was in a conversation, he had to think before he could respond to what someone said. He had been sleeping almost all the time except when it was time to eat or do something else. It was also very obvious that his aphasia had returned in full force.

Christine picked Mac up at the hospital in the Avalanche. The nurse rolled him out in a wheelchair and he did not look happy at all. Christine started to lock the wheels of the wheelchair. "I can do it!" Mac snapped as he looked at her. "I'm not helpless."

"I'm sorry," Christine replied. "I know you're not. I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't need any help."

Mac stood up and almost fell but he grabbed the door of the truck. Christine just folded her arms and watched him. He looked at her with a frown. "Well get in and I'll take you home," Christine said coldly. She went around the truck and got in.

Mac glared at her and he did not even know why he was angry. He knew he was being stubborn but he felt embarrassed. The nurse came over to him. "You know, you should accept help when someone offers it," she said.

Mac finally got in the truck. It was not that he was weak but his balance was totally off and his muscles ached all the time like he had been exercising and his reflexes seemed to be almost non-existent. He sat down in the seat and put on the seatbelt and the nurse closed the door. He looked at Christine who was not smiling at him now.

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "Can we just go?"

"Sure," Christine replied. She hoped he was going to get over this irritability.

Mac looked out the window as they were on their way home. He felt depressed about going through all this. He had made it through the difficulties with being shot but he was not sure he could do this again. He knew what was happening and he knew they were not telling him everything.

Christine drove to the apartment building and went into the parking garage and parked. "Well, can you get out on your own?" she asked. "I won't help you if you don't want me to."

Mac looked at her with the saddest look she had ever seen on his face. "I didn't mean to…"

Christine almost wanted to cry. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you're going through a lot. I just don't want you to push me away. It reminds me of how I felt when you pushed me away before, but now I am your wife and I don't want you to push me away."

Mac bit his lip trying to keep his emotions from overwhelming him. Christine got out of the truck and came around to his side. She opened the door and waited for him to move. Mac took the seatbelt off and looked down at the ground. "I guess I do need help," he said.

Christine moved closer to him and held out her hand. "Let's go home," she said.

Mac took her hand and started out of the truck. When he stood up on the step, he almost lost his balance but Christine was there and steadied him. He got down from the step and they got his stuff from the truck that he had accumulated from the hospital. Then they went to the elevator and got in. "I got all my stuff into the apartment so I guess it's a little junky," she said.

"Well, it's always a little junky when you first move into a place until you get settled," Mac replied.

When the elevator started up, Mac stumbled as he felt like he would fall. "Are you alright?" Christine asked.

"I felt a little dizzy there for a minute," Mac said. "I'll be alright."

The elevator stopped at the right floor and they walked out. Mac felt like he was still moving for a moment but he leaned on the wall a little until it passed. Christine unlocked the door and they went in. Mac smiled as he saw boxes sitting around. "Well, I guess we will have something to do for a while," he said.

"I guess there is no easy or neat way to move," Christine said.

"I don't think there is."

They went into the bedroom and Christine put the stuff away from the hospital. Mac felt very tired as he looked at the bed and he thought he could just lie down and sleep. Christine walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. "I have missed you," she said.

Mac put his arms around her and kissed her. "I wish this hadn't happened," he said.

"Me too but we're here together now. I got all our stuff from the cabin too."

"You did all that by yourself?"

"No. Danny and Jo helped me."

Mac looked at the bed again. "I'm tired," he said.

Christine rubbed his chest. "Why don't we get into that bed together?" she asked.

Mac looked at her and realized what she was wanting to do. He had not even thought of that for the whole time he was in the hospital. He supposed he had been occupied with his problems. "Come on," Christine said and took his hand.

Mac followed her over to the bed and she took his shirt off. "I've missed you so much," she said and kissed his chest.

"I think I need a shower," Mac said suddenly. "I've been in the hospital."

"Okay. You go and get one and I'll wait for you."

"Okay."

Mac went into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror wondering if he could even do anything like that anymore. He did not know why he felt nervous about everything. He leaned on the sink. He wished he could remember what happened. He remembered running through the woods with Christine as they were running from those two men. The thing about it was that he only remembered that he was running but he could not remember anything about what happened or what he was thinking. He could remember when they arrived at the cabin for their honeymoon and he remembered fishing…and he remembered the night they had sex in the water.

Mac looked in the mirror. "You're an idiot," he told himself. He got undressed and got into the shower. He stood under the water and thought about Christine and then he thought about the situation they had been in. He wished he could remember but he figured maybe he would in time. When he was done with his shower, he shaved and then put his robe on. He felt extremely nervous again.

Christine was lying in the bed when Mac came from the bathroom. "Come on," she said.

Mac swallowed hard and went over to the bed. Christine held the covers up and he dropped his robe and got into the bed. She moved close to him and kissed him. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You sure do smell good."

"I'm a little nervous," Mac said.

"Why?"

"I don't even know. I'm just nervous and I wonder if I can even do this."

"Oh Mac, you didn't have any problems before."

"But…"

Christine put her finger on his lips. "Stop worrying," she said. "Worrying about it can make you unable to do what you want."

Mac took a deep breath. "I know. I'm trying."

Christine rubbed his chest and kissed him. "Put your hands on me," she whispered.

Mac thought he was about to forget about worrying. He knew he loved Christine and they had had quite an eventful honeymoon. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know, and I love you."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you today. I don't even know why I did."

"It doesn't matter now. I want you to get your mind on the two of us in this bed together and all the possibilities."

Mac could not help but smile a little at that. "I think I'm starting to," he said.

"Good." Christine moved even closer to him. "Make love to me, Mac."

Mac pushed her hair back and kissed her. He definitely forgot about being struck by lightning, being irritable or nervous or anything. He felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Christine woke up later and found that they were both under the covers head and all. Mac was still sleeping soundly. She touched his face and kissed him. She would get up and fix him something wonderful to eat. She had gone shopping the day before to make sure they had plenty in the apartment. She got up and got dressed and went into the kitchen. She hoped he would be hungry when he woke up. He had not had much of an appetite since all this happened.

Mac dreamed that he and Christine were running through the woods…running for their lives from the two men. Suddenly, they came to the clearing. "Go on!" he yelled. "Get to the next cabin and get help!"

"I won't leave you!" Christine had said.

"You have to! Now go!"

Mac moved in his sleep as he remembered the fight and that he had escaped from them again. He had run across the clearing and then there was someone else. Suddenly, Mac sat straight up in bed. "Christine!" he yelled.

Christine was stirring her soup when she heard Mac scream her name. She hurried to the bedroom and found him sitting up in the bed sweating. "Mac? Are you alright?"

"Where were you?"

"I was fixing us something to eat." Christine sat down on the side of the bed and stroked his sweaty hair. "What's wrong?"

Mac scowled. "I think I was dreaming," he said. "I think…I remembered something."

"What?"

"There was someone else there." Mac looked at her. "I don't know who it was."

Christine looked at him for a moment. "They found her body," she said.

"What? You know?"

"Yes. There was a woman there and we were hoping you would remember what happened."

"You didn't tell me."

"Mac, we didn't want to overwhelm you. You've been through a serious trauma."

"I don't care. You know who it was? Who was it?"

"Someone you knew."

Mac frowned. "Who?"

"Her name was…Peyton."

Mac looked shocked. "What?"

"It was Peyton, Mac."

"That is impossible. She would not do something like this."

"She didn't get a chance to do anything. The lightning struck her. You didn't kill her, Mac. The lightning hit a tree close to you and it hit her first and apparently went through the gun to you."

Mac could not believe what he was hearing. "You can't be serious," he said. "That can't be."

"I'm sorry, Mac." Christine wondered why he was reacting the way he was. "She wanted to kidnap the both of us and hold us captive."

Mac was thoroughly shocked. "Why?"

"The two who were working for her…"

"Wait. They're still alive?"

"Yes. The lightning didn't hit them. They said she hired them to kidnap us and said that if she couldn't have you, no one could."

Mac shook his head. "This is hard to believe," he said.

"Well, it's true," Christine replied.

Christine did not like the fact that Mac felt so strongly about Peyton. He was her husband now and she was jealous. She wished she was not but she could not help it. "I fixed us a good soup," she said. "Are you hungry?"

Mac looked at her. "I think so," he said. "I'll get dressed."

"Okay. It will be ready when you get in there."

Christine went back to the kitchen. Mac started to get up. He could not believe that Peyton would do something like that. He would have to talk to Jo about that and see what they had found out. He got dressed and went into the kitchen, stumbling a little as he went through the door.

"Are you okay?" Christine asked.

"Yes," Mac said. "I'm just still a little off balance."

"Sit down and I'll bring our soup to the table."

Mac sat down at the table. He had to admit that soup smelled incredibly good. Christine soon brought two bowls of soup to the table and two glasses of lemonade. "This is chicken soup but I promise it won't taste like chicken noodle soup," she said.

"Oh, is this your own recipe?" Mac asked.

"Yes. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will."

Christine looked at Mac. "I think we should say grace over this food. I am so thankful that you are here with me."

Mac nodded. After that, he took a bite of the soup. "Mmm, that is delicious," he said. "Nothing like chicken noodle soup."

Christine smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I try to get the spices just right."

"Tastes perfect to me."

Mac looked at her. "I'm sorry I acted uninterested before," he said.

"What?" Christine asked.

"When we were in the bedroom."

"Oh, well, don't worry about that. I think you more than made up for it."

Mac smiled. "I tried." He looked at the…utensil in his hand and could not remember what it was called.

Christine saw the sadness on his face. "What is it?" she asked.

Mac held up the utensil. "What is this?" he asked.

"A spoon."

Mac put the spoon in the bowl. "I don't want to go through this again," he said.

"Mac, we will get through it. You will not be alone."

"I don't know if I can."

"Yes, you can."

Mac looked at her. "How do you know?" he asked.

"Because I know you. You can."

"What if it doesn't go away this time? I'll lose my job. They can't have the head of the crime lab unable to remember things. That was why I didn't want everybody knowing about it. It could bring up questions about the reliability of the lab."

"Mac, you have not lost anything."

"Yes, I have, Christine. Sometimes I have to stop and think about where I am and what I'm doing. It happened at the hospital. I would be doing the therapy and I would forget where I was for a second."

"You'll get better."

"How do you know? What if it gets worse?"

"Mac, please, just don't give up."

"I'm not giving up. I guess sometimes there are things that you can't overcome."

"But you can try to do all you can to get better."

"I intend to do that but I'm so tired."

Christine stared at him a moment. "We'll get through it together. I've told you that before."

"I know, and I'm glad you're with me. I love you."

"I love you too and I'm glad I'm here. When we're finished eating, we can unpack some things."

"Okay."

Mac ate all of his soup which he thought was probably more than he had eaten the whole time he had been in the hospital. He could not help but think of what he was facing. Everything just seemed like it was out of whack.

When Mac went into the bedroom, he felt so sleepy that he just laid down on the bed. By the time Christine got in there, he was asleep. She was very worried about him but the doctor had told her that he would most likely sleep a lot for a while. She went over to the boxes that she had in the bedroom. She unpacked her shampoo and other things and put them in the bathroom and then unpacked everything else. Next, she went into the kitchen to unpack what she had in there. She had not had much time to unpack her stuff because she wanted to be at the hospital with Mac and it had taken a long time to get it all packed up and actually moved here.

Christine worked all day and Mac slept the whole time, but then someone came to the door. Christine opened the door and Danny was there. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," Christine replied. "Come on in."

Danny went in. "Where's Mac? How's he doing?"

"He's sleeping. He's been sleeping most of the day. I'll go and see if I can get him up."

"You don't have to disturb him." Danny held up the box of files he had brought. "I have some reports he needs to sign. They're kinda piling up."

"I'll go get him. He needs something to do."

Danny set the box of files down and waited while Christine went into the bedroom. Mac was still sound asleep when she walked in there. "Mac," she said softly. "Mac." She shook his shoulder. "Mac!"

Mac finally started to move but he did not wake up yet. "Mac, wake up," Christine said. "Danny is here."

She kept on shaking him until he finally opened his eyes. "Mac, Danny is here," Christine said as she pulled him up to sitting. "Wake up, Dear."

Mac stared at her a moment. "What?"

"I said Danny is here. Wake up."

"I'm awake."

Christine smiled. "Come on." She remembered that kissing him had helped to wake him so she kissed him. "Are you waking up now?"

"I'm awake."

"Then come on and go talk to Danny."

Mac thought about that a moment. He was very groggy but he knew what she said. "Why am I so sleepy?" he asked.

"I don't know but come on."

Mac sat up on the side of the bed and finally, he got up to go in the living room but he stumbled part of the way. "I'm not drunk, am I?" he asked.

"No, Dear," Christine answered. "We have had no alcohol at all. You're just groggy."

Mac stopped at the door of the bedroom. "I don't want Danny to see me stumbling," he said.

"Mac, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You heard me. Don't hold on to me."

Mac took a deep breath and waited until he felt steady and then they went on into the living room. "Hey, Mac!" Danny said in his usual cheerful way. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Mac said.

"I brought some reports for you to sign."

Mac looked at the box. "Well, it looks like you have all been busy."

"Pretty busy but you know how it is. Your signature is important."

"Right. I'll just get a…a…"

Christine realized Mac was at a loss again. "There's a pen in the kitchen," she said. "I'll get it for you."

Mac nodded and walked over to the couch. "So, how has everything been going at the…at work?"

Danny scowled slightly but he would not ask anything. "Pretty smoothly," he said. "We just got done with a case where this guy killed this woman who worked in a lab at the University. You know why he killed her?"

"Why?" Mac asked.

"He wanted to free the rats in the lab. He let all those rats go after he killed the woman and they even chewed on her a little. He admitted this. Said she was not supposed to be there when he went there and he had to kill her or she would have called security and messed up his plans."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "Well, you have to expect about anything I guess."

"And when he confessed to this, he acted like it was the most normal thing in the world."

Mac shook his head as he took a file out of the box. Christine came back with a pen. "There you go," she said.

"Thanks," Mac said in a way that let her know that it was for more than just the pen.

"So, what did the doctor tell you?" Danny asked.

"I have a lot of therapy to go through and I…" Mac did not know what he wanted to say.

"He has some problems with his balance and things like that," Christine said. "He has some headaches and gets a little dizzy sometimes, muscle soreness."

"I've never known anyone who was struck by lightning…and survived," Danny said. "I'm glad you're still with us."

"Me too," Mac replied. "I still don't remember that." He looked at Danny. "But I do remember a woman being there. Christine said it was Peyton."

Danny frowned and nodded. "It was," he said. "She was dead when they found her."

"Why would she do that?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know. I guess we'll never know."

"I haven't spoken to her in…a few years."

"Obviously she still thought something of you."

Christine looked surprised at that statement. "Thought something of him?" she asked. "It looks to me like she was obsessed with him. You don't kidnap a person and hold them captive when you care about them."

"Well, I meant…

"She knows what you meant," Mac said.

Christine folded her arms. "I can speak for myself," she informed him. "I know the difference between love and obsession."

"Okay."

Danny tried not to smile at Mac giving in. "Well, Lucy is about to start school again," he said. "It won't be long."

"I hope she has fun and does well," Mac said.

"I just wish we didn't have to buy so much stuff for it. Not just clothes, but about six or seven notebooks which we never see and all this other stuff."

Mac smiled. "When I went to school, if we had a pencil and a notebook or tablet, we had all we needed."

"Me too."

Christine was glad to hear Mac reminiscing. At least he was remembering some things from long ago. She was concerned about his aphasia though. She hoped that he could be helped the same as last time.


	2. Chapter 2

Mac sat on the couch and studied the files that Danny had brought. He could hear Christine walking around and wondered what she was doing. It was comforting to hear someone else in the apartment. He read over the report he had in his hand. He signed it and then started to put it back in the box but then his head started to hurt. He leaned back on the couch with the next folder. "Christine!" he called.

Christine came from the other room. "What?" she asked.

"My head's hurting again."

"I'll get your medicine."

Mac wondered if he would have to take medicine for the rest of his life. He had finally gotten off all that medicine before and now here he was again. Christine brought the medicine and a bottle of water. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," Christine replied. "Why don't you stop that for a while?"

"Maybe I should."

Christine moved the stack of files off the couch and put them on the coffee table so that Mac could lie down on the couch. Once he laid down, it was not long until he was asleep. Christine was worried about him. She went into the bedroom and got her phone to call her mother, Lois, who lived in Pennsylvania now. "Hi, Mom," she said when she answered.

"Hi, Darling," Lois said. "How is everything going?"

"I don't know, Mom."

Lois could hear the worry in Christine's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you know Mac was struck by lightning."

"How is he?"

"I don't know. He has aphasia again and he sleeps all the time. He has headaches and I just don't know if he will ever be able to do his job again. There's just so much going on."

"Well, you have to encourage him and help him to get through it."

"Oh, I am, but I am just so worried about him. I wonder what he will do if he can't do his job."

"Christine, you have to give him time. I'm sure it must be overwhelming to both of you right now but you can't give up."

"I'm not giving up. I just wonder if I should take him away from here for a while."

"To where?"

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure that out."

"What if he doesn't want to go?"

"He will just have to listen to me right now."

"Are you saying that he has no say in the matter?"

"No but I don't think he should make decisions about it right now."

"Oh Christine. You can't treat him like that."

Christine sighed and lay down on the bed. "I know but I just want him to get better. He's here and worrying over files from work. People are coming and visiting him reminding him of what he's not doing. I don't know if all that is good for him."

"Why? He's around familiar things."

"We didn't get to finish our honeymoon. We were having such a good time, Mom."

"Oh, so that's what it is. You're feeling cheated?"

"I guess. I just want us to have more time together without someone coming around with files."

"Christine, was Mac the head of the crime lab when you agreed to marry him?"

Christine frowned. "Yes, Mother," she said.

"And when you were dating, was he doing his job and dealing with files?" Lois asked.

"Yes."

"Then you should have thought of that before you married him if you didn't like it."

"Mother, that is not the problem. I loved Mac so much I didn't care what he did, but now, I just want us to have time together."

"Which is normal for a newlywed. Aren't you there in the apartment with him?"

"Yes, but he's asleep."

"That's not his job's fault is it?"

"I see your point. I'm just being silly and selfish but I just love him so much."

Lois smiled. "I'm glad you're happy, Christine," she said. "Things will get better."

"I hope you're right."

"Do you want me to come and visit?"

Christine laughed. "Not right now," she said. "But I would love to see you."

"You just hang in there and give him time to recover. Everything will be okay. You've only been married two weeks, you know."

"Okay. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

Christine ended the call and stared at the ceiling. She had to admit she wanted Mac all to herself. He had definitely awakened something in her that she wanted him to feed a lot. She smiled at that as she thought of what it felt like when he touched her or took her in his arms. She needed that and wished he did not sleep all the time. She decided to just take a long, hot bath while he slept. She went into the bathroom and ran a tub of water with the bubble bath and all. She went to check on Mac again before she got in there but he was still sleeping on the couch. "Sleep on, my darling," she said and kissed him. Then she went on to the bathroom.

Mac was dreaming about being at the cabin with Christine. Then the two men burst through the door. He remembered fighting them and then they were running through the rain. It was so cold, he shivered in his sleep. They came to the clearing again and he sent Christine on to get help. He stood there waiting for the two attackers to come out of the woods. He remembered in his sleep that there had been someone else. He looked the way Christine had gone. "NO!" he yelled. "Christine! NO! She's waiting for us!" But he had to fight off the two who were chasing them. He was confused now. What would he do? Did he go after Christine or fight off the two attackers?

Christine was lying in the bubble bath when she heard Mac yell "NO!" She wondered what was going on. She got out of the tub and put on her robe. When she walked into the living room, she found Mac lying on the couch asleep but clearly having a nightmare.

She walked over to the couch and touched Mac's arm. "Mac," she said and he almost fell of the couch.

Mac sat straight up gasping for breath. "Christine!" he yelled.

"Mac, I'm right here."

Mac looked at her as though he were seeing her for the first time. "She didn't grab you?" he asked.

"Who?"

Mac rubbed his face. "I don't know," he said. He realized he had been dreaming. "I…"

"You were dreaming."

Mac nodded. "I thought we were running through the woods again and I sent you to get help and…why didn't she grab you?" He looked at Christine. "Why didn't she grab you?"

"Who?" Christine asked.

"Peyton. She was waiting for us there. Why didn't she grab you when you ran that way?"

"I don't know, but I don't suppose we will ever know. Forget all that."

"I can't. I keep having these nightmares. I keep thinking that you're in danger."

"I'm not. I was sitting in the tub."

"Oh." Mac noticed that Christine was wearing a robe now. "I'm sorry I disturbed you."

Christine stood up and gave him a seductive look. "You want to join me?" she asked and let the robe drop.

Mac looked at her and smiled. "Well, since you put it that way…I suppose I could join you."

"Then you better come on."

Mac watched her walk toward the bedroom door and then he got up and followed her. "Hurry up!" Christine called as she was already in the bathroom when he walked into the bedroom.

Mac smiled and started to get undressed. He thought of the fact that he had already had a shower today. He supposed he would be clean. He went into the bathroom still in his underwear. Christine was in the tub covered in bubbles. "Aren't you coming in?" she asked.

"You know, I already had a shower today," Mac said.

"Can't be too clean, and besides, I wasn't with you then."

"You really like being in the water, don't you?"

"You remember?"

Mac smiled. "How could I forget that?"

"I'm glad you didn't because I haven't forgotten. Come on."

Mac finished undressing and got into the tub with her. It was a big round Jacuzzi tub so there was plenty of room. "I love this," Christine said as they settled down together in the water.

Mac ran his fingers up her arm. "I enjoyed being at the cabin just me and you," he said.

"Me too," Christine replied. She looked at Mac. "Let's go away together somewhere."

"We can't just run off again. I have all this therapy to do and…"

"Mac, we can get through this together without you going to therapy and all that."

"How?"

"Let's go up to that cabin of yours."

Mac looked at her a little puzzled now. "In Wyoming?"

"Yes. Let's just go up there and stay a while."

Mac thought about that a moment. "How would I see my doctor?" he asked.

"Mac, that doctor can't do anything else for you." Christine rubbed his chest. "I want to help you myself."

"Are you a doctor?"

"I think we can overcome this together. I helped you through the last thing."

"This is different."

"Mac, there are doctors in Wyoming. You can take your records with you and if you had to go, we would have them with us."

"But, Christine, I don't know what shape that cabin might be in. I haven't seen it in several months."

"We'll fix it."

"What about my job? I don't want to lose it."

"You can't go back right now anyway. You could take a leave of absence. Please, Mac."

"I'll have to think about that. What about your job?"

"I've been thinking that I want to open my own restaurant."

Mac leaned back to look at her then. "What? You didn't tell me."

"I didn't think I could but now that this has happened, maybe we can…"

"Can what?" Mac asked.

Christine looked at him. "Maybe we can…go somewhere and start over," she said almost reluctantly.

"You want to leave New York?"

"Mac, I want us to have time together. I want us to have a job where we can be home together every night, not waiting for the phone to ring and you running out to a crime scene in the middle of the night and wondering when you will ever be back home."

Mac frowned. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want you to think that I'm trying to…I don't know."

"I don't think I can make a decision like this right now."

"Why? I think it would be the perfect time."

"Why?"

"Because this is a time when you need something different. We could at least go up there and stay while you're recovering. No one would be bothering you with files or calling you."

"But that's my job, Christine. I worked hard to get where I am. I want to retire and have security."

"Mac, I want us to enjoy something now…not have to wait until we're too old to enjoy anything. Maybe you can get an early retirement."

"Early retirement?" Mac asked with surprise. "Christine, I'm not even fifty yet."

"So? You have been through a lot and you should be able to retire from this job."

"I don't want to retire." Mac felt like she was trying to take advantage of the situation. "You think I'm not going to recover and be able to do what I did before?"

"I don't know. I want us to go away together for a while so that you can have time to recover without people bothering you. That's all I'm saying."

Mac leaned back on the tub. "If they find out that I'm having this problem, I would be finished anyway," he said. "It would question the credibility of the lab and that's something that can't happen."

"Mac, you should tell your team about this," Christine said. "They would help you."

"I don't want them to know it. If it got out…"

"They would never tell that. They love you, Mac."

"But things have a way of getting out and if it did, it could jeopardize the whole lab and anything they have investigated under my supervision."

Christine frowned. "What can we do?" she asked. "That's one of the reasons that I want us to go away. You can recover in private with no one breathing down your neck or watching you."

Mac thought about that while he played with her hand. "You're right about that," he said. "If we were up there, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone finding out."

"And we could enjoy each other."

Mac looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't want you," he said.

"Mac, you didn't." Christine kissed him. "I am just glad you're here."

"I have to admit while I was in that hospital, I never even thought about that. I was so nervous."

"I knew that but I was so glad you were alive, I didn't care. I just can't stand the thought of you being struck by lightning. That scared me so bad."

"I still don't remember that. I've remembered…or dreamed up to the time but then…nothing. This last dream I had though was like a mixture of everything that I know now. It's like my brain is trying to make sense of it all and creating a new scenario."

"Let's forget about this for a while." Christine moved over in front of him and sat in his lap. "You stop thinking about all that."

"I'm stopping," Mac said.

Christine smiled. "Are you? What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, I'm thinking about pulling you closer to me and…"

"Oh yeah?" Christine moved closer to him. "How's this?"

"That's really good."

"Now what?"

"I guess I would move my hand up your back like this and then explore other areas of your body."

"Ooh, it's good so far."

Mac pulled her even closer to him and kissed her. "Then I think I would forget that I was in the world," he said. "You take me away."

Christine put her arms around his neck. "I want to take you away," she said.

Mac's embrace tightened and he started to kiss her again and then they heard the doorbell. "Ignore it!" Christine said.

"What if they're here to get the files?" Mac asked.

"They can come back later. You're not done with them anyway."

"Right," Mac whispered. He went ahead with the kiss and ignored it when he heard the doorbell again.

It was not anyone from the lab who was at the door but it was a delivery, so the delivery guy left the package outside the door. There was a woman outside who had asked him to bring it in there and had paid him. He went back out to her. "I delivered it," he said. "They didn't come to the door so I left it outside."

"Good," the woman replied. "You got your pay."

"Right."

The woman looked up at the building with a smug smile and then she left. She wanted nothing more than to mess up Mac's paradise. He had always lived in a paradise and she never had anything even close. He was so smug about it and bragged about it all the time. She wondered how the people who worked with him now stood it. She smiled to herself as she thought of the reaction Christine would have to her delivery…


	3. Chapter 3

Mac got out of the tub after he washed. "I'm so sleepy," he said.

"It must be the lavender," Christine replied as she was still sitting in the tub.

"Oh, I guess so." Mac could not help but wonder who was at the door earlier. "I better try to work on those files some more before I go to sleep again." He yawned as he said that.

"Are you going to think about what he talked about?"

"Yes. But I don't know about that."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll help you."

"I know."

Christine thought Mac looked sad. She thought she should not have been so insistent about going away. She thought she had made him feel worse instead of giving him an option. "Mac, I didn't make you think I am embarrassed, did I?"

Mac looked at her. "No. I think you care about me and our privacy but I do know that my friends care about me too. You were right when you said they would help me."

"But you have to think about that other situation too."

Mac nodded. "Yes. If anyone found out about this…"

Christine frowned. She could hear the sadness in Mac's voice. She just wished she knew what to do but they would certainly never learn it from her. It would be up to Mac whether to tell anyone or not. "I'm with you, whatever you decide," she said.

"I know."

Christine watched as he walked out of the bathroom. She wanted to just cry. She hated seeing him troubled like that and she did not know how to take it away. She could get his mind off it for a little while but then it all came back. She remembered what he said about his dream and she remembered how he wanted to protect her. She knew how much he wanted to protect her because of the time that she was kidnapped and he did not give up until he found her. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.

Mac got dressed and went into the living room. He started to sit down to read over more files when the doorbell rang again. He started for the door but had to slow down as he felt a wave of dizziness. He had to remember not to move so fast. He went to the door and waited a moment He opened the door to find Adam there.

"Hi, Boss," Adam said. "I was wondering if you had those files ready."

"Not yet," Mac replied. "Come on in."

"Uhm, there's a box here."

Mac looked out the door and saw the box sitting beside the door. "Did you see anybody?" he asked.

"No," Adam replied. "It was sitting here when I walked up."

Mac picked the box up which had his name and address on it as well as even a return address. He shook it but did not hear anything. "Well, come on in," he said.

Adam went into the apartment and Mac walked over to the couch. "I didn't quite get all these files done," Mac said. "I get so sleepy sometimes."

"I can wait," Adam said.

"Just have a seat."

Adam sat down in a chair and watched as Mac picked up a folder from the stack on the coffee table. "So, how are you doing?" Adam asked.

"I guess I'm doing better than the woman who was there," Mac said.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so."

Mac looked at Adam who had his arms folded. He thought Adam could feel awkward no matter where he was. He seemed to look for something to strike up a conversation about. "You want something to drink?" Mac asked.

"Sure," Adam replied.

"How about lemonade?"

"That's good."

"Okay. I'll get us a glass."

Mac got up, trying to remember not to get up too fast. He went into the kitchen and poured them a glass of lemonade. Christine walked into the kitchen while he was in there. "Who was at the door?" she asked.

"Adam," Mac said. "He's here to get the files."

"So, he's going to wait for them?"

"Yeah." Mac looked at her. "Isn't that okay?"

"Yes."

Mac took the two glasses of lemonade into the living room and gave one to Adam. "Thanks," Adam said.

Mac sat down on the couch and picked up his file again. "So, how are things at the…at work?" he asked.

"Like always," Adam said noticing how Mac had asked that. "I mean, except that you're not there. That's very noticeable."

Mac shook his head. He could tell Adam had not changed at all. "I'm sure it is," he said. "Does Jo run a tight ship?"

Adam seemed to be surprised by that question. "Yes, she has everybody in line," he said, sounding like he was trying to make it up as he went.

"Really? I would think she was a little looser than I am. Everybody always seems to tell me to loosen up."

"Oh, well, when she's in charge, she's a lot tighter."

Mac almost laughed at that. He could imagine that Jo was probably trying to keep it in line. He knew that was not an easy task especially when one was not used to it. It had taken him a long time to get used to that and to get the respect that he had now. He certainly did not want to lose that and he was afraid he would if anyone found out about his troubles.

Christine came into the living room as Mac was moving on to his next folder. "Hi, Adam," she said.

"Hi," Adam replied.

Christine saw the box sitting on the coffee table. "What's this?" she asked.

"Someone left it outside the door," Mac said.

"You didn't open it?"

"No. I thought I would wait until I finished this."

Christine glanced at Adam. "Oh, well do you mind if I open it?" she asked.

"Of course not," Mac said.

"I'll take it in the kitchen."

Christine took the box into the kitchen and got a knife to cut the tape open. She opened the box, which was not a very big box. She pulled the paper back that was hiding what was inside. She was surprised at what was inside it. She looked toward the living room wishing she could ask Mac about this. She did not want to touch the contents of the box until Mac saw it so she went back into the living room. "Mac, can you come into the kitchen?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now."

Mac scowled but he put the file down that he was looking at. "Excuse me, Adam," he said.

Adam was wondering what that was about but he just sat there and sipped his lemonade. Mac went into the kitchen. "What is it?" he asked.

"I think you should look at what's in this box," Christine said.

Mac went over to the box and looked inside. Christine could see his surprise. He looked at her. "What?"

"That's what I thought," Christine said.

Mac reached in the box and pulled out the black, lacy thong. "Who would send this?" he wondered out loud. He realized there was a note in the box. He took it out and frowned as he read it.

"What does it say?"

Mac looked at Christine. "Nothing," he said. "It's just a prank."

"Mac, this is more than a prank. Why would anyone send you something like this?"

"They're just trying to cause trouble." Mac shoved the thong and the note back into the box and closed it. "Let's just get rid of this."

Christine folded her arms. "I want to know what that note says," she said. "Are you hiding something?"

"No. I told you it's just a prank."

Mac took the box into the bedroom and shoved it into the closet. "I'll get rid of this later," he said.

Christine stared at him. "You 'are' hiding something," she said. "I thought we were past this."

"Christine…"

"Don't give me a speech."

"Why does it matter what it says? It's just…"

"Okay, Mac. Keep it to yourself. You seem to like doing that!" Christine went into the bathroom.

Mac was angry now but he had to get those files done and get rid of Adam. He did not have time to argue with her right now. He went back into the living room feeling very angry. Adam seemed to sense that he was upset about something. "I can come back later, if you want me to," Adam said.

"Don't you think I would tell you that if that was what I wanted?" Mac asked a little testily.

"Oh, yes, sir."

"Just relax, Adam."

Adam felt nervous when Mac was angry or upset. He tried to relax but there was nothing to talk about and nothing to do while he sat there. When would he ever learn to take a book or something with him? Then he remembered his iphone. He would just do something on that.

Christine came out of the bathroom. She looked toward the closet and then went in and got the box. She was going to know what that note said. She took the box out and set it on the bed and took the note out. She could not help but notice the fragrance on the note…like sweet roses. She frowned as she remembered Mac saying something about a sweet rose fragrance and he wanted to get some for her. She opened the note and read it: _Mac, I know you didn't want anyone to know it was more than a kiss but I just wanted to send you something that would remind you of our one time together. I certainly have not forgotten. You were my one true love._

Christine's mouth dropped open as she read that. What did that mean? She wondered just how many women he had strung out all over the city. No wonder he did not want her to see it. She thought about those women who had been at the wedding and what they had said. She remembered one of those redheads saying something about a kiss, and he had said he kissed her while he was married to Claire. Was it more than that or was she just trying to cause trouble? He was going to explain that to her when he got done with his files.

Mac was trying to hurry through the files. He was not reading all of them. He knew the work his people did and he would not question them. He just hoped there were no mistakes. He wanted to get this done so he could take care of that other situation that was arising. He suddenly stopped writing and realized he had left that box in there and Christine was in there…he had to remember she was his wife now and she would not hesitate to go through anything of his.

Mac looked toward the bedroom. "Christine!" he called.

Christine came to the bedroom door. "Yes, Dear?" she asked.

Mac could tell by the look on her face and the tone in her voice that she had already seen it. He tried not to glare at her but it was not easy. "Would you mind refilling my lemonade?" he asked.

Christine walked over to the couch and picked up his glass. "Of course not, Dear," she said with a glare.

"We will talk about this later," Mac whispered.

"OH, we sure will," Christine whispered. "You are going to explain that."

"There's nothing to explain!" Mac glanced toward Adam, who was trying to pretend not to hear them arguing. He looked at Christine. "Thanks, Honey."

Christine gave him a mock smile. "You're welcome, Dear." She looked at Adam. "Would you like more?"

"Uhm, no. I'm fine," Adam said, wishing that he was not there. "I can come back for those files later if you want me to."

"No. I'll be done soon," Mac said.

"I think it would be a good idea for him to come back later," Christine said trying to sound sweet.

"I don't care!" Mac said. He blew out a breath trying to calm his voice. "I said I will be done soon."

Christine glared at him. "Fine."

Mac wished he could go faster with those files but he had to do it right. He hurried through them as Christine brought the lemonade back. She thought about pouring it in his lap but he was holding a file so she set it on the table. "There's your lemonade," she said.

Mac looked up into her angry face. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome." Christine went back into the bedroom.

Mac almost flinched when she slammed the door. He looked at Adam. "Well, it won't be long," he said as he kept working.

Adam just sunk down in the chair a little and looked at his iphone. He knew an argument when he saw one and could not help but wonder what would get between Mac and Christine like that. Then again, he had seen Lindsay so angry at Danny that he thought they would leave separately but they always made up.

Mac was relieved when he got done with the files. He put them all into the box and gave it to Adam. "There you go," he said.

"Thanks," Adam replied. "I'll get these back to the office. There'll probably be more tomorrow."

"Fine."

Adam went out the door and Mac closed the door. He took a deep breath and blew it out as he looked toward the bedroom where Christine had not come out yet. He thought he might as well go on in there. He walked over to the bedroom door and turned the knob but found that it was locked. "Christine, you open this door!" he demanded.

"Why?" Christine asked.

"Because this is my bedroom too!"

"Not tonight, it isn't!"

"Don't make me kick this door down!"

Mac heard the door unlock and Christine opened the door. She was dressed in a blue cocktail dress and had on makeup. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going out!" Christine said.

"Out where?"

"With some friends of mine! I do have friends!"

"Christine, you need to listen to me!"

"You haven't said anything!"

Mac frowned. "I'm going to if you will listen!" he said.

"Then start talking!"

Christine walked away from the door and Mac went on into the bedroom. "Christine, I told you what happened with that," he said.

"Mac, that does not look like just a kiss," Christine replied. "You cheated on your wife! And you are trying to make it out to be nothing!"

"Christine, I did not! This is a lie!"

"You were dishonest about that, how should I know whether you are being honest now?"

"I am not lying! Where do you get the idea that I would lie to you?"

"You lied before about your aphasia."

"No, I didn't! I just didn't tell you. I did not lie!"

"Oh yes you did! You said 'nothing's wrong'. That was a lie! You knew something was wrong!"

Mac thought he could not win this argument. "I did not have an affair with Quinn!" he exclaimed.

"How do you know who it is?" Christine asked.

"Because she is the only person it could be!"

"How should I know that?"

"Christine, don't go out! We need to settle this!"

"Mac, all I'm doing is going out to dinner with Amy. You know her, don't you?"

Mac frowned. "Of course," he said.

"She's my friend. I want to go out and have a good time and talk a while."

Mac put his hands on his hips. "How long are you going to be gone?" he asked.

"I don't know. You 'trust' me, don't you?"

Mac heard that little inflection she put on "trust". He glared at her. "You're not being fair," he said.

"Then tell me what happened between you and that woman…everything!" Christine demanded.

"I told you nothing happened!"

"Mac Taylor, something happened!"

Mac rubbed his face as he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes and sat down on the bed. Christine realized something was wrong. She went to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Just dizzy," Mac said. He tightened his eyes against the dizziness and nausea.

"Lie down."

Mac lay down on the bed but it did not help much. He felt like the room was spinning around him. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling and it even looked like the room was spinning around him. "Mac, what can I do for you?" Christine asked.

"Nothing," Mac said. He groaned as his stomach heaved. "I'm going to be sick."

"Can you get up?"

"No."

Christine ran and got the garbage can. "You can use this," she said.

Mac leaned off the edge of the bed and threw up in the garbage can. "Oh, God," he said. "Christine, help me."

Christine did not know what to do. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"I think so."

She helped Mac to lie down on the bed again. He wondered if he was going to die at the moment. He did not know if he had ever felt like this before. Christine grabbed her phone and started to dial. "NO!" Mac said. "Don't call them."

"Why?" Christine asked.

"I think it's subsiding now."

Christine leaned over him. "Are you sure?"

Mac nodded. He covered his face with his hands and tried to get over the nausea. "I think that was the worst I've had," he said.

"I'm sorry," Christine said. "I upset you."

Mac looked at her. "Don't worry about that," he said. "Just go ahead with your plans."

"What?"

"You heard me. Just go ahead with your plans. I wouldn't want you to miss out on anything because of me."

Christine could not believe what she was hearing. "Well, if you want to be that way, go ahead! I will go on with my plans!"

"Good!" Mac sat up even though he was still a little dizzy. "I don't like the idea that you don't trust me!"

Christine glared at him. "I don't know what to think! You don't want me to know everything! There must be something that you're hiding!"

"I'm not hiding anything!" Mac yelled.

"Oh yes you are!"

"Just go!"

"I'm going!"

Christine went out of the bedroom and slammed the door. Mac heard the front door slam as well. He picked up the box off the bed and threw it across the room. That did not help his dizziness. He lay down on the bed and finally just fell asleep.

Christine went down to get a cab. She could barely keep from bursting into tears. She had never been so angry…or hurt…in her life. She did not even know why she felt so angry but she was not going to sit there with him if he did not want her to.

When Mac woke up, he thought he had been dreaming. He sat up and looked around the room. "Christine?" he called, but there was no answer. He noticed that the box he had really thrown was right where it had landed. He rubbed his face as he realized Christine had really gone somewhere, they had really had a fight.

Mac went over to the box and looked at the note. He was angry now and he was going to get to the bottom of this himself. He had a feeling that he knew who sent this. There was only one woman whom he had almost made a horrible mistake with and that was Quinn Shelby. He would just pay her a visit…


	4. Chapter 4

Mac went down to the Avalanche. He was not supposed to be driving yet but he was going to anyway. He would go over to New Jersey where Quinn Shelby was the head of the crime lab and he would confront her about this. He was tired of people trying to cause trouble for Christine and him. He frowned as he thought of Christine. He did not even know where she was. Of course, she did not know where he was either now.

Mac pulled out onto the street and headed for New Jersey. Of course, it would not take him long to get there if there was not so much traffic and traffic was a little slim this evening. He soon came to the bridge that crossed over into New Jersey and Jersey City. He was feeling angry about this situation. He could not understand why she would do something like that. They had been partners before he became the head of the crime lab. Maybe she resented the fact that he had gotten that job instead of her. She had moved off the New Jersey after that. He supposed she did not want him to be her boss. Maybe she had tried to get him into a sex scandal then to try and ruin his career. He frowned at the thought of all that. It had been stupid for him to let her get him into that situation. He would have to talk to Christine about all this and tell her the whole story which there was not much to tell. After that, he had avoided Quinn like the plague and he had thought that's what she was…she had intended to wreck his marriage.

Mac finally arrived at the crime lab where Quinn worked. He got out of the Avalanche and as he was about to go in, his phone rang. He looked and found that it was Christine calling. "Hello," he answered.

"Mac, where are you?" Christine asked. "Did you drive?"

"Christine, I don't want to argue with you right now. I'm doing something."

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you later, but I have to tell you that I didn't lie to you about Quinn."

"I know. I'm sorry that I acted the way I did. It was years ago anyway. It just made me so jealous to think of you kissing some other woman like that…and you didn't even know me then."

"We'll talk about this when I get back home, and I'll explain the whole situation to you."

"Okay. But where are you?"

"I'm in New Jersey."

"Why?"

"I'm about to…never mind. I'll be home later. Are you at home?"

"Yes. Mac, be careful, whatever you're doing."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Christine heard the call end and then she sighed as she sat down on the bed. She knew she was just being jealous and it did not even concern her. She knew Mac loved her and she had to stop being this way but when she thought of him being with some other woman, it made her jealous even though she had known he had been with other women. She thought maybe that was the reason she wanted to take him away from New York is so he would not be here around all those women. She fell back on the bed. "What is wrong with you, Christine Taylor?" she asked. She smiled at the sound of that though. She had hardly had time to think of the fact that her last name was Taylor now and that she was married. She thought it probably took a person a while to absorb all that and get used to the idea. They had not even been living in the same apartment for long. She just had to adjust to living with Mac and get over the past. It was over and Mac did not care about that anymore.

Mac walked on into the precinct and over to the desk of an officer whose name plate on the desk read "Detective Peter Duncan". "Excuse me," Mac said.

The detective looked up at Mac. He had black hair and blue eyes, almost as light blue as Don Flack's eyes. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor. I'm looking for Quinn Shelby."

Duncan stood up which made him about four inches taller than Mac. "She works in the lab upstairs," he said. "Why are you looking for her?"

"Well, that's my business, isn't it?" Mac asked. He showed the man his badge. "I want to see her."

"Is this official business?"

Mac frowned. "I don't have to explain it to you."

Just then, another man walked up wearing a gray suit and white shirt and a red tie that was pulled loose. "What's going on here?" he asked with a thick New Jersey accent.

"I need to see Quinn Shelby," Mac said. "I don't know why that is such a problem for Detective Duncan here."

"I'm Detective Shaw," the man said. "Detective Shelby works in the lab."

"I've been told that. I want to talk to her." Mac showed him his badge.

Shaw looked at the badge and then at Mac. "Head of the crime lab, huh?" he asked. "You must be the one who beat Shelby out of that job."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"She's mentioned you."

"Really? Well, I need to talk to her."

"Come on."

Mac glanced at Duncan again and then followed Shaw to the elevator. As the elevator started up, Mac felt that slight wave of dizziness again. He tried not to let it show but it was hard. He was glad when the elevator stopped and he did his best not to stumble when he came out. He looked around at where they were now. It was nothing like the lab in New York except that the lab area was glass. However, the offices were not glass. Mac thought sometimes he wished his office was not glass because everyone could see what was going on in there.

Shaw led him down the hall to the first office and on the door it said "Detective Quinn Shelby". Mac frowned as he saw her name. Shaw knocked on the door and they heard a voice say "Come in".

Shaw opened the door and they walked in. Quinn was shocked to see Mac walk into her office. She stood up. "Mac, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I'll tell you when we're alone," Mac said.

"Excuse me," Shaw said and left the office.

Mac closed the door and looked at Quinn with a frown. "So, what do I owe this pleasure?" Quinn asked. "Surely you're not sore about us coming to your wedding. It was just a joke."

"Quinn, stop playing around. You know why I'm here. That scam you pulled today was not a joke!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! You sent a package to my apartment trying to make that…incident between us seem like more than what it was!"

Quinn stared at him a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I have not sent you any packages."

Mac glared at her. "It had to be you, Quinn. Stop trying to mess up my happiness!"

"Mac, I did not send you a package. Sure I had the hots for you but you clearly don't have that for me. Besides, I found someone myself. I'm sorry if it really upset you that bad for us to show up at your wedding. It was just a joke, like I said."

Mac frowned. He was beginning to think she was telling the truth. "Well, if you didn't send it, then who did?" he asked. "Who else knows about that?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

Mac knew she could be lying. He leaned on the desk. "This better stop," he said. "It's starting to become harassment."

Quinn leaned on the desk. "Are you sure you didn't just want to see me again?" she asked.

Mac frowned. "I could go the rest of my life without seeing you. Leave us alone!"

"You would love it if I was obsessed with you, wouldn't you? You think you're God's gift to women. You're not as great as you think you are."

Mac stood up and folded his arms. "I'm glad you think so because I don't want you bothering me," he said.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Mac."

Mac could not help but wonder if she was being honest. Who would do this and make it look like Quinn did it? "Good bye, Quinn."

"Good bye, Mac."

Mac turned to go out the door. "You still have a fine butt," Quinn said.

Mac glared at her and went out the door. He could not imagine anyone doing something like this and pretending that it was Quinn. She made it sound very convincing though. He wondered what they could find on that box and the note at the lab. He would try to find something himself.

Mac drove back home and went up to the apartment. Christine came into the living room as he came in. They stared at each other a moment. "I'm sorry," Christine said. "I got halfway to the restaurant and I realized how stupid I have been."

"Not stupid," Mac said.

"Oh yes, I have. I have been jealous of something that happened years ago before you even knew me and that was stupid."

"Come in here and I will tell you everything."

They went into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. "I'm going to lay down," Mac said. "I'm tired."

Christine crawled up beside him and they lay down and looked at the ceiling. "I should have just told you the whole thing before," Mac said.

"You said there's nothing to tell," Christine replied.

"Well, there's not really, but I'll tell you anyway."

"Go ahead.

Mac sighed. "Quinn and I were partners for several years," he began. "I was always talking about Claire. I loved her so much and I was always telling things she did and how beautiful she was and…I guess it got on her nerves or something."

"Or made you more attractive to her," Christine said. "She probably wanted to have someone think that of her."

"Well, anyway, I didn't think anything about that. She was my friend and I talked about Claire. She was my whole world and I didn't have anything else to talk about. Then one night, Quinn and I were on a stakeout and we were sitting there talking and…" Mac folded his arms. "I hated myself after that. She moved closer to me talking about how I must miss my wife and we kissed. You're right, it was not just a peck. I suppose I was easily seduced."

Christine looked at him. "That's all it was?" she asked.

"Yes, but she wanted it to be more than that. I asked for a new partner after that. She actually waited for me to call. I found that out years later when she came to the lab for an inspection. That's when I found out how much she hated the way I talked about Claire all the time."

"She came to the lab for an inspection?"

"Yes. Of all the people in this country, she was the one sent there, but at least it gave me the chance to let her know that there was no chance that anything would ever develop between us. I thought that would be the end of it, but now, I don't know what to think."

"You saw her tonight?"

"Yes."

"Mac, I have to say, that must have been some kiss to get all this started."

Mac rolled his eyes. "I don't know," he said. "It was nothing special to me. It sure let me know that I had boundaries and that I needed to keep people at a distance. I learned something about myself that night."

"And what was that?"

"That I was human too."

Christine was surprised by that statement. "Mac, it wasn't all your fault."

"I know but I should not have let that happen, and now I don't know if she sent that or not. She denied it."

"Well, who would send it besides her?"

"I don't know but she sounded very convincing. I don't know, Christine. I think someone's playing a game."

"You think someone else was involved in that with Peyton?"

"It's possible. They were all there at the wedding. And by the way, Quinn said it was just a joke and she didn't mean anything by it. I find that hard to believe."

"It didn't seem like a joke to me," Christine said.

"Me neither. I just don't know what's going on." Mac looked at her. "But I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"We had our first fight."

"I guess."

"I think it was pretty tame for a first fight, don't you?"

"Probably." Mac turned over toward her. "Do we get to kiss and make up?"

Christine smiled. "Is that what we get to do when we fight?" she asked.

"I think most people do."

"We should fight more often then." Christine moved closer to him and put her arms around his neck.

"Fight more often? About what?"

"Oh I don't know."

"We'll probably think of something."

Christine laughed as Mac pulled her close to him and kissed her neck. She looked into his eyes and leaned her forehead on his. "I'm sorry," she said. "And I do trust you. I guess I'm just not used to being married yet."

"I don't think we've had much time to get used to it."

"I want to."

"Me too. I'm definitely adjusting to it."

Christine smiled. "What's the best part?" she asked.

"Seeing you every evening when I go to sleep and seeing you every morning when I wake up, talking to you about everything."

"Definitely."

"Then there's the sex too."

"And you like it too?"

"Of course."

"I love it."

Mac kissed her and then pushed her hair back. "I'm going to the office in the morning," he said.

Christine looked surprised by that. "What? Why?"

"I'm going to take that box up there and see if there are any…any…"

"Fingerprints?"

Mac nodded. "Yes. Fingerprints. And if there are, maybe we can figure out who sent it."

"I hope you can, but what will you do if you find out?"

"Confront them."

"Who could it be?"

"I don't know, but I want to find out. I really thought it was Quinn. She is the only one…"

"I know, but if it wasn't her, someone is going to a lot of trouble to make it look like it was her. How do they know about that?"

Mac shook his head. "It's a mystery."

"And a mystery just kills you, doesn't it?"

"You know me."

"Yes, and I love you."

"I have one more question."

"What?"

"What's the name of the place I work?"

Christine scowled at that question. "The lab?"

Mac nodded. "The lab. Right."

"Mac, let's just forget all this till morning."

"I want to."

"I'll help you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, everybody. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up but i lost my internet at home so i have to come downtown to put chapters on. Hope you enjoy this chapter and there will be more to come. miss37**

Mac woke up the next morning feeling like his head was about to burst open. He sat up and held his head because it was hurting so badly. Christine sat up beside him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"My head hurts," Mac said.

"I'll get your medicine."

Mac sat there while Christine got up and got the medicine and a bottle of water. She soon came back with the medicine. He gladly swallowed them. "How long is this going to keep on?" he asked as he lay back down.

"I don't know," Christine said. She hoped it would subside eventually.

"My ears are ringing again."

Christine lay her head on his shoulder wishing that she could do something to take away his discomfort. Mac soon fell asleep again but Christine had to get up. She would have to go to the restaurant this day. She had already taken off a lot of time. She knew Mac had intended to go to the lab today but he seemed to be resting now. She got a shower and went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. She wondered if Mac would get up soon so she would just make his breakfast and leave it in the microwave. She made coffee and made two breakfast plates and left one in the microwave for Mac. She ate her breakfast and then went to the bedroom door as she sipped her coffee. Mac was still sleeping. She walked over to the bed and watched him a moment. They had hardly been apart since they got married. She would miss him. She bent over him and kissed him.

"I love you, Mac," she whispered.

Christine finished her coffee and then left for the restaurant. She had left Mac a note on the kitchen table. She felt even nervous about leaving him there alone. He had so many problems since the lightning strike, she hated to leave him alone…although she did the night before and he had gone all the way to New Jersey. "He's not a child," she told herself. "He can take care of himself. He's been doing it for many years now."

Christine shook her head at herself. "Now you're talking to yourself," she said. "You're really bad off."

Mac woke up again later when he heard the doorbell ring. He felt incredibly sleepy and he did not know yet that Christine was not there. He turned over on his side and looked toward the bedroom door. The doorbell rang again so he sat up. "Christine!" he called. He felt terrible but he got up and went to the door.

Mac opened the door, and there was a delivery boy there with a package. "I have a delivery for Mac Taylor," he said.

Mac frowned as he was barely comprehending what the guy said but he signed the delivery sheet and took the box. He closed the door and went back to the bedroom. He just set the box in the floor and got back into bed. He could not think about anything right now.

At around 11 am, Christine called Mac's phone to see if he was at the lab. She waited and only got his voicemail. "Mac, I was just wondering if you got to the lab this morning," she said. "Call me." She ended the call and she was a little worried. He had not felt well that morning. She supposed she could go to the apartment at lunch and check on him.

When Christine got to the apartment after 12 Noon, she found that Mac was still in bed and he had not touched his breakfast. She also noticed the box sitting in the bedroom. "Mac," she said and shook his shoulder. "Mac, wake up!"

Mac moved a little and took a deep breath. "Mac, wake up!" Christine said. She pulled him up so he was sitting up which was not easy because he was totally relaxed. "Mac!"

Mac finally opened his eyes. "Is it morning already?" he asked.

"Mac, it's Noon," Christine said. "I was worried about you and came home to check on you."

Mac seemed to think about that a moment with his eyes closed. "It's Noon?" he asked.

"Yes, wake up!"

"I'm awake."

"No you're not. Come on." Christine pulled the covers off him. "You have not been out of this bed at all, have you?" She looked at the box. "Mac, where did that box come from?"

"What box?"

"The one sitting over…" She looked at Mac. "Wake up, Mac. Did you go to the door nude?"

"What?"

"Oh, Mac, I shouldn't have left you this morning." She patted his face. "Wake up."

"I'm awake."

Mac finally opened his eyes and looked at her. "See? I'm awake," he said.

"Mac, where did that box come from?"

Mac looked at the box in the floor. "I think somebody delivered it." He rubbed his face. "It's Noon already?"

"Yes. Mac, did you go to the door nude?"

Mac looked at her. "I stayed behind the door," he said.

"Mac, you need to get up."

"I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Because of your injuries, that's why. The doctor said you might be like this for a while."

"Well, I'm awake now."

"I should have woke you up this morning but I thought you needed to rest."

"Well, don't worry about it."

"I had left your breakfast for you. I guess I'll fix you lunch while you get a shower."

"Okay."

Christine went into the kitchen. Mac went into the bathroom. He did not like the idea that almost a whole day had passed by while he slept and even after he had slept all night. He got a shower and shaved and then he felt fully alert. He got dressed in his blue suit and then went into the kitchen. "Oooh, you smell good," Christine said and kissed him. "I have our lunch fixed."

"Good, I'm hungry," Mac said.

"Did you find out what was in the box?"

Mac scowled. "No. I guess I forgot about that." He went back into the bedroom and got the box and carried it into the kitchen. "I don't know what this is," he said as he set the box on the table.

"Do you think it's something from your ex-girlfriend?"

Mac gave her a tolerable look. "I don't want to go into that again," he said. He got a knife and cut the tape on the box. He stopped a moment, dreading to see what was in the box. He looked at Christine. "No matter what's in here, I told you the truth."

"I know," Christine replied. "I'm sorry for distrusting you."

Mac opened the box and moved the paper aside. He frowned as he saw what was in there. "Give me a glove out of that drawer there," he said.

Christine got a glove from the drawer. Mac put it on and then reached into the box. Christine was surprised to see a sergeant's badge in his hand. "What's that?" she asked.

Mac read the numbers on it…8433. He looked at Christine with a surprised and troubled look on his face. He hurried into the bedroom and pulled a box from the closet. Christine came into the room as Mac sat down on the bed with the box. "What are you looking for?" she asked.

Mac took the lid off the plastic storage box. He stared at the contents and took some pictures out. Christine walked over to him. "What is it?" she asked, seeing that something was very wrong.

Mac looked at her and she could see the anger on his face. "Someone's been here," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Someone's been in this apartment." Mac looked at the box and he felt seething rage. It was his memory box that he had kept after Claire died. His sergeant's badge had been in that box along with a few other things, including his wedding ring from his marriage to Claire. It was also gone.

Christine did not know what was missing because she had never looked in the box. She had never had much time to explore everything in the apartment. "What's missing, Mac?" she asked.

"Someone's trying to hurt me," Mac said.

"What are you going to do?"

Mac looked at her. "I'm going to find out who it is," he said. He put everything back into the box and put the lid on it.

Christine followed him into the kitchen. He picked up the other box and looked at Christine. "I don't have time to eat," he said.

"Mac…"

"I'm sorry."

"Where are you going?"

"You know where I'm going."

"Be careful."

"I will. Come on and I'll drop you off at the restaurant."

"I'll pack up this food. You can eat it at the lab."

"Fine. Just hurry."

Christine put their food into carry-out boxes that she always had around and they headed down to the Avalanche. Mac still felt dizzy in the elevator but he was not going to let that stop him. They came out of the elevator at the parking garage and got into the Avalanche. "Shouldn't someone dust the apartment for fingerprints?" Christine asked.

Mac shook his head. "If it's who I think it is doing this, it wouldn't do any good," he said.

"Who would do something like this?"

"I don't know, and I don't know why." Mac looked at Christine. "You need to be careful. Don't go out by yourself."

"Mac, I hate it when you talk like that."

"I don't like it either, but right now, I don't know what's going on and what they will do next. I don't want to lose you."

"What's missing out of the box, Mac?" Christine asked.

Mac frowned. "My wedding ring," he said. "And some other things."

Christine could not understand why anyone would want to steal something like that other than just to hurt Mac or to lure him into something. "No one's been to the apartment while I was there," she said. "They must have gotten in while you were in the hospital and I was there with you or while we were away at the cabin."

"Had to be."

"Who do you think is doing this?"

"I don't know, but if it's not Quinn, someone is sure trying to make it look like it was her."

"Why would someone like her do something like this? Would she jeopardize her career for something like this?"

"I'm going to figure all that out," Mac said. "In the meantime, you watch out and don't trust anyone."

They arrived at the restaurant and Christine looked at Mac. "Be careful," she said.

"I will," Mac replied and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Christine got out and went into the restaurant. Mac put the truck into Drive and headed for the precinct. He looked at the wedding ring on his finger and thought of the one that had been taken. That ring was special to him because it was the last thing he had left of Claire…but he remembered that he had gotten that letter. He had barely had time to think about it. It was still in his office.

When Mac came out of the elevator at the lab, everyone was surprised to see him. "Mac, what are you doing here?" Jo asked.

"I have a problem," Mac said.

Jo looked at the boxes that Mac was carrying and then at him. "What's going on?"

"Someone's been in our apartment."

Danny and Lindsay came out in time to hear what Mac said. "They stole some things," Mac said.

"Like what?" Danny asked.

"Well, come into the lab and I'll tell you all what happened."

They all followed Mac into the lab and he set the boxes on the table. He took off his suit coat and hung it on a rack in the lab and put on his lab coat. The others put on a coat as well and gloves. Mac unstacked the boxes and then looked at the others. "Yesterday, I got a package at the apartment and this is it," he opened the first box.

Jo's mouth dropped open as she saw the contents. She looked at Mac. "Who would send you something like this?" she asked.

Mac was embarrassed to have to tell them that story but he had no choice and he thought whoever was doing all this would know that. "It was made to look like Quinn Shelby sent it," he said. "She was my partner a long time ago and…"

"Mac, you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to," Jo said.

"I don't have anything to hide," Mac said. "She and I kissed once and this was sent, I assumed, by her to make Christine think that there was more to it than that. I went to New Jersey and confronted her and she claims she had nothing to do with this." Mac sighed. "I don't know if she's lying or not."

"And what about these other boxes?" Lindsay asked.

"Today, another box was delivered," Mac said. He opened that box and took out the badge. "When I saw this, I knew someone had been in the apartment because I kept it in this box." He pointed to his memory box. "Then I discovered that there are some other things missing out of it…my wedding ring."

Jo frowned. "From Claire?" she asked.

"Yes."

Jo thought that was the cruelest thing she had ever heard. "Who would do all this?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "But there were some people at our wedding…Quinn said it was just a joke, but it wasn't a joke to me. They all said improper things to Christine."

"At your wedding?" Jo was shocked.

"Yes."

"That is just…" Jo did not even know how to finish the sentence. "What else is missing?"

Mac looked at his memory box with a sad look. "There was a necklace in there that I gave Claire a long time ago when we first met," he said. "I didn't want to throw it away. She always kept it even though she didn't wear it anymore. The clasp was broken and…she always said it was her treasure. And there was my class ring. Claire wore it for years."

Danny and Lindsay looked at each other. "So, what do we do first?" Danny asked.

"We're going to figure out who did this," Jo said angrily. "Anyone who would do something like this deserves to be in prison."

"How did they know?" Mac asked. "How did they know?"

"Know what?" Danny asked.

"How did they know about the box?"

"We'll find that out too," Jo said as she took the first box that had been delivered to the apartment.

Sheldon walked into the lab next. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Come on, and I'll tell you," Jo said.

Mac stared at his memory box still wondering how someone could have known about it, but then he remembered Peyton. She had known about it even though it was hard for him to even talk about Claire then. He had told her about it. He had not shown it to her, but he had told her about it. She must have told someone else…whoever was in this with her. Now that she was gone, they were going to carry on the plans.

"What are you thinking about?" Danny asked, noticing that intense look on Mac's face.

Mac looked at him. "Peyton," he said. "She knew about that box although she didn't see it."

"And you think she told someone else about it?"

"That's all I can think of."

"But who?"

"I hope we can find something that will tell us who."

They all started processing the evidence that was in the boxes and the boxes themselves. Mac took everything from the memory box and stared at it all a moment. He felt like he had been violated and someone had taken things that were irreplaceable. He blew out a breath and tried not to let himself get another headache or feel dizzy. He realized that when he got very upset, sometimes it triggered either a headache or dizziness, but he had woke up with a horrible headache that morning.

Mac dusted the memory box for prints. He knew his own prints would have to be on it but he lifted every one that he found which was only about seven prints. He had not even had the box out in a few years. Christine had not even seen the box…or did not know what she was looking at up in the top of the closet. Next he dusted everything that came from the box and found a few prints. He looked at the others examining the evidence that he had brought in. This was not even a case but they were helping him. He knew Christine had been right when she said they would help him.

Mac went over to the scanner and scanned each print into the computer. Most of the prints were his, of course but there were some that were not his. Some of the prints belonged to Quinn Shelby. "You've got some explaining to do, Quinn," Mac said. He knew she had to be in that apartment in order for her prints to get on that box. However, he was puzzled as to why she would be so sloppy because he knew what a clever detective she was. But, her fingerprints being there put her in their apartment.

"What did you find?" Danny asked as he walked over there.

Mac let him see the screen. "It's hard to believe she would do something like this," he said.

"If she was going to, it looks like she would be more discreet than to leave her prints all over the box."

"I agree."

When they were all done with the evidence, they were waiting for a DNA sample that Jo had found on the lacy thong. She looked at Mac. "How would anyone get your DNA?" she asked.

Mac looked at her with a puzzled look. "As far as I know they couldn't," he said. "But whoever this is got into our apartment and took some very personal things."

"Oh, Mac, this is just a mess. How are we going to figure out who did this?"

"Well, we're going to start with Quinn." Mac put all the things that were left in his memory box into an envelope and put it in the drawer in his office desk. Then he saw the letter he had gotten about Claire. He took it out and read it again…

_Dear Mr. Taylor,_

_A sample of DNA that you provided to Piper Laboratories has been declared a match to a sample from the wreckage of the North Tower of the World Trade Center that was destroyed on September 11, 2001. Being that this is a valid sample, we declare that the sample is a match to one Claire Conrad Taylor. You may call with any questions that you may have._

_Sincerely,_

_Jonathan Morris_

_President_

Mac sighed as he closed his eyes. He remembered the last time he had seen Claire as the bus pulled away. He could not forget that…it was very vivid in his mind. He had thought over the last time they were together so much after that happened that it was like yesterday and he could remember everything about it. There were just some things that could not be forgotten.

"Mac."

Mac looked up to see Jo standing at his office door. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Uhm, yes," Mac said, trying to get back into his detective mode. "I was just…" He put the letter back in the drawer and shut it. "What did you want?"

Jo stared at him a moment knowing that there was something wrong but she would not pry. "Are we going to visit this Quinn Shelby?" she asked.

Mac absorbed that a moment. "Yes," he said. "We're going to take this box with us." He indicated the memory box. "I'm going to ask her how her prints wound up on the box."

"Good question."

Mac went over to Jo and swayed just a little as he felt slightly dizzy. "Are you sure you're alright?" Jo asked as she grabbed his arm.

"I just have a little balance trouble sometimes," Mac said. "I get a little dizzy if I get upset or walk too fast or stand up too fast."

"Oh, well, you should tell people these things so we will know what to do if you start stumbling."

Mac frowned. "I don't need that much help," he said.

"I'm sure you don't but I would rather steady you than for you to fall and hurt yourself." Jo looked at him. "What did the doctor tell you? Did he say it was okay for you to work?"

"Jo, I will work if I want. I have a few problems but I'll work through them."

"We're your friends, Mac. We care about you."

"I know, but let's just get back in the…the…" Mac swallowed hard as he could not remember that word again. "Let's get back to work."

Jo watched him a moment as he walked back to the lab. She did not think he should be back at the lab right now after being struck by lightning but she could do nothing about it. She went on back into the lab where Mac was hanging up his lab coat. She hung hers up too.

"You ready?" Mac asked.

"Of course," Jo replied.

They headed out to the Avalanche to go and see Quinn at her office. Mac hoped she would be there or they would have to hunt her down. He also had her address. She had some questions to answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Mac and Jo walked into the precinct at Jersey City, New Jersey. Detective Duncan was there this time too. "You back again?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Mac replied. "I need to see Quinn again."

Duncan looked at the large, paper evidence bag that Mac had in his hand. "What you got there, Taylor?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," Mac said. "I need to see Quinn. Do we have to go through all this again?"

Jo folded her arms. "Do you know who you're talking to?" she asked Duncan.

Duncan stood up so that he would be taller than them. "I'm talking to a pompous…"

"Duncan!"

Mac and Jo looked around to see Detective Shaw coming that way again. "What's your problem?" he asked.

Duncan sat down. Mac glared at him and then looked at Shaw. "I want to see Quinn," he said. "I have something to discuss with her."

"Again?" Shaw asked.

"Yes."

"Come on then."

"And another thing…I would like to have a little respect when I come in here."

"Don't worry."

Mac and Jo followed Shaw to the elevator and they went up to the lab. "I think you know the way now," Shaw said.

"Thanks," Mac said as he and Jo left the elevator.

"That was just so rude," Jo said making sure her visitor badge was in place.

"I don't care about that right now."

Jo followed Mac to Quinn's office and he knocked on the door. "Come in," she called from within.

Mac and Jo went into the office. "Well, there must be something in the stars," Quinn said. "I wouldn't have thought I would see you again this soon."

"I have something to talk to you about," Mac said.

"What are you accusing me of this time?"

Mac set the evidence bag on the desk and opened it. He took the box out. "Have you seen this box?" he asked.

Quinn scowled at the box. "I don't know. Why?"

"Your fingerprints were found on it," Jo said.

"So?"

Mac frowned. "That box is a very precious keepsake of mine that could not have been touched by you unless you were in my apartment," he said.

Quinn stared at him a moment. "Are you serious?" she asked. "I have not been anywhere near your apartment."

"If you haven't, someone sure is going to a lot of trouble to make it look like you have. You need to take a close look at this box."

Quinn took the box and looked at it. "I don't remember…" She stopped in mid-sentence and looked at Mac. "I 'do' remember something like this. It was at your wedding. There was a woman there and she had me hold it for her a moment while she got her coat on. I didn't think anything about it."

"What did she look like?" Jo asked as she got her notepad out.

Quinn thought a moment. "She had blond hair, blue eyes. She was about your height, I guess, slim. She looked like she was probably in her twenties."

Mac scowled at that. "That is not a description of any of the women who were there with you," he said.

"They were not there 'with' me. I just showed up to irritate you a little."

"And you say this woman was there?"

"I only saw her that once."

"Why would she try to get your prints on this box?"

Quinn stared at Mac a moment. "I would like the answer to that myself," she said. "I promise you, Mac, I have not been anywhere near your apartment and I have certainly not taken anything of yours. What was stolen?"

"Some very sentimental items that belonged to Claire…that I can't get back."

Quinn frowned and actually looked like she was sorry for Mac. "I'm sorry, Mac, but I don't know who did this or why they're trying to make it look like I did," she said. "I never told anyone about…that."

Jo stared at her a moment and then looked at Mac to see what he thought. "Okay," Mac said. "But for some reason, someone is out to get me and you."

"Who did you tell?" Quinn asked, returning to her smirky ways.

"I didn't tell anyone," Mac declared. "I was embarrassed about the whole thing. Why would I tell anyone about it? I just wanted to forget it."

"Well, I certainly didn't forget it."

"That is enough of that," Jo said. "You must have told someone since you were so proud of yourself. Now, who did you brag to?"

Quinn folded her arms. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced," she said.

"Jo Danville. I'm Mac's partner at the crime lab."

Quinn smiled her smirky smile. "Better be careful," she said. "He likes to kiss."

"Look, I was almost convinced that you had nothing to do with this, but I think you can hide your attitude well."

"I'll admit, I wanted him, and I would have gotten him if I could but I did NOT do this."

"What about the people working in your…your…" Mac wished he could remember that word.

"Who all works in your lab?" Jo asked trying to cover up for Mac. "Is there anyone who would want to take you down to get your job?"

Quinn looked at Mac a moment. "I don't know," she said. "My team is very efficient."

"I'm sure they are but is there anyone who is especially ambitious?"

"Everyone working in a lab is ambitious. Mac and I were both trying to get the same job, but we all know how that turned out."

"Do you have any new interns?" Mac asked.

"There are always new interns. You better come up with some good evidence before you start looking through my lab for a suspect."

Mac nodded. "I will," he said.

Mac and Jo left that office and Quinn came to the door. "Mac, I want to know who is doing this when you find out," she said.

"If we find out it's not you," Jo said. "You'll be one of the first to know."

Mac and Jo went on to the elevator under Quinn's glare. Mac pressed the down button and they got in when the elevator arrived. "Mac, what is going on?" Jo asked. "You forgot the word Lab again."

Mac frowned. "I don't want to talk about this right now, Jo," he said. "Please, just don't ask me right now." He looked at her. "Thanks though."

"You're welcome."

They went out to the Avalanche and headed back to New York. "So, who do you know with blond hair and blue eyes who would do something like this to get to you?" Jo asked.

Mac frowned. "I don't know," he said.

"It must be someone who was obsessed with you."

"I don't know of anyone who would be obsessed…" Mac scowled. "I don't know anyone who would do this. The women I went out with were professionals."

"But look what Peyton did."

Mac had to admit, he had been shocked to find out that Peyton was in on something like that. They had not found out yet where she had intended to take Christine and him. The two men who had helped her had not told them.

"Mac, what are you thinking?" Jo asked. "You didn't finish your sentence."

Mac frowned at that. 'I don't know anyone who would do this," he said again.

"But you thought of something. Tell me."

"I don't want to tell you right now. I'll mention it if it comes up to be something significant."

"What if something happens? I want to know who to look for."

Mac sighed. "There was a girl named Ella McBride a few years ago who was obsessed with me…or I guess she was. She did things to get my attention. I mean, I'm old enough to be her father. She had been involved in a case where her father was murdered by her own mother," he said.

"Oh, my word. Then what?"

"Well, after that, she started following me around and then she even created a piece of evidence in a case I was working on so she could come to the office to tell me about it."

"She went that far?"

"Yes, and then she tried to kill herself and she went into a rehab center. I haven't heard from her in years either."

"Mac, that is pretty obsessed to forge evidence."

"But why would she try to make it look like Quinn was doing this if she did it to get my attention?"

"The whole thing is bizarre. Why would she steal keepsakes from you?"

"I don't know that either. How would she even…well, I know how she knew that we were getting married. Jennifer Walsh had announced it in the paper."

"And that was what brought all those women to the wedding."

"I guess. It just seemed like it was planned."

"Oh, Mac, this whole thing is so bizarre. You don't think all those women are in on this somehow, do you?"

"Jo, I never even went out on a date with Jordan, and I only went on one date with Polly. Why would they do something like this?"

"Did Jordan want you to date her?"

Mac thought about that. "I suppose she did," he said. "I guess I shouldn't have gotten so close to her after all that trouble with her husband."

"Mac, you are a Casanova if ever I saw one. You have a soft heart when it comes to women and they just fall all over you."

Mac rolled his eyes. "I am not," he said. "And they do not."

"Oh, you just don't know it. When I first met you, I thought you were one of the most charming men I had ever seen."

"Jo."

"It's true. And you should watch what you do."

"Me? I am not trying to attract attention."

"That just makes you more desirable."

Mac leaned on his hand on the door. "What am I supposed to do, hide in the closet?"

"No, but just don't be surprised when women find you attractive."

"So, just because I dress nice and all, I'm considered a player?" Mac asked.

"Mac, tell me how you wound up going out with these women," Jo said.

Mac thought about that a moment. "Well…they asked me out if I went out with them."

"Uh huh, and? What did you do when you went out? You were a perfect gentleman and gave them your undivided attention?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do on a date?"

"Yes, but you're just so intense with those eyes of yours."

"I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm married now, so it doesn't matter what anyone thinks now."

"You're right, but I'm talking about before."

"Polly asked me to go to the roller derby. That was the only time we went out. She was not the one for me."

"And who else?"

"I don't want to tell you all this. Polly is a cop anyway. She wouldn't do something like this and I don't think Rose would either. And why would Jordan do something like that?"

"I don't know. I'm having a hard time figuring out why 'anyone' would do this."

"I have to agree with that."

They arrived back at the precinct and went up to the lab. Mac went to his office and sat at his desk. He stared at his memory box. He could not believe someone would take things like that from him. There were just so many things that were in that box. Mac leaned on his desk and covered his face with his hands. He just had to get that stuff back. He had it all documented but he knew how hard it would be for someone to find something like that. He remembered Claire's reaction when he had given her that necklace, even though it had not been a very expensive item. He was about to ship out with the Marines and just wanted her to have something from him. The necklace had a ladybug on it and it was very detailed. She had stopped wearing it when the clasp had broken off but she had always kept it.

_You're my treasure, _she had said. _I'll always treasure it. _

Mac leaned his chin on his hands and tried not to think about that, but it was hard. His father's dogtags, his rank insignias, his medals…it was all gone. He wanted to find out who did this. He leaned back in his chair as one of his sudden headaches arrived. He could not hide it when those headaches hit either. It made him feel sick and his ears rang too.

Just then, Mac saw Christine coming toward his office. He was so glad to see her because she knew his problems. He waved her on in. She knew that something was wrong when she saw him. "You're having a headache?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes," he said.

"Come here and lie down."

Mac went over to the couch and lay down. He held his head with both his hands. "Why does this have to happen to me?" he asked.

Christine wished she could do something to help him. "I don't know," she said. "You can take one of your pain pills."

"I need one."

Christine opened her purse and took the pills out. "I was afraid you might need one," she said. "I brought them with me."

Mac took the pill and Christine got the bottle of water that was sitting on his desk. He swallowed the pull and kept his eyes closed. "You should be at home," Christine said.

"I can't," Mac replied. "They're working on this and it's not even an official case. I have to stay here."

"Mac, you're not well enough for this."

Mac looked at her. "Tell that to whoever has invaded our apartment!" he yelled. "They took something from me!"

Christine had never heard Mac yell like that before. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know but I'm just thinking about you."

"I don't have time to just lay around!"

"Well, I guess I should go back to the restaurant. I just wanted to check on you and bring you something for dinner."

Mac looked at the bag that Christine had brought. He grabbed his head and lay back down on the couch. "What's wrong with me?" he asked. He looked at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"It's okay, Mac. Remember, we said for better or for worse."

"It looks like you're getting all the 'worse'."

"You were there for me when I was kidnapped."

Mac sat up and hugged her to him. "I don't want to scare you," he said.

"I could never be scared of you," Christine said.

Mac started feeling like his medicine was kicking in and he lay back down. "I don't have time to sleep."

Christine wondered if he was going to be like this forever. She hoped he would get better but right now, he seemed to be staying the same. He stumbled a lot and he forgot things and he seemed to zone out at times. She still wished they could go away somewhere so he could have a peaceful recovery but she was sure he would not go anywhere now. She wondered who could have gotten into their apartment. She had thought all morning trying to think of someone she might have seen in the hallway or outside, but she had not remembered seeing anyone who did not belong there. She had certainly not seen any of those women who were at the wedding…or at least she did not remember seeing any of them before. She had not been living there long so she did not know if she even noticed that anyone was there who did not belong. Mac had usually been with her when she went to his apartment so if she had seen anyone, he would have seen them too.

Christine stroked Mac's hair. He was asleep now. She supposed he would have to sleep whether he had time or not. Just then, Jo walked in. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Christine said. "Or, he will be. He was having a headache."

"Christine, he's having problems remembering things again, isn't he?"

Christine was not sure she wanted to answer that. "He'll have to tell you whatever he wants you to know," she said. "He's afraid people are going to see him as incapable of leading this lab."

"He should know better than that."

"It's not the team that he's concerned about."

Jo knew what she meant. She knew if anyone found out that he was forgetting things like that, they would call into question anything that he worked on in the lab. "He's right about that," she said.

Christine looked at her. "He is?"

Jo nodded. "He sure is. It could call into question the reliability of the lab if the boss is having mental issues."

"Mental?"

"Yes. If he's forgetting things like that, it would be. Today, he forgot the word 'lab'."

"He forgets that a lot. And he forgot the word 'pen' too."

"I just don't understand why he doesn't trust his team enough to tell us about it. We could help him."

"I know. He just has so much pride. You must know that."

"I do. It's what makes him such a good boss, but it is what makes him lonely too."

Christine sighed. "I know. I told him before that it was his weakness."

"We haven't found any other prints on the items that Mac brought in, but there was some DNA on the thong," Jo said. "There was a male doner and a female doner."

Christine looked at Jo. "You know whose?"

"Not yet. Whoever did this is certainly trying to make all this look like something that it isn't."

"But who?"

"I don't know, but it is someone who wants to hurt Mac."

Christine looked at Mac. "Why? He is one of the sweetest people I have ever met."

"Me too, but apparently someone else doesn't think so."

Jo thought Mac might be right and she was having Adam track down Ella McBride. She intended to go and pay that woman a visit and see what kind of attitude she had these days and whether she still had a thing about Mac or not. She still had not eliminated Quinn Shelby from her list of suspects and she also did not like how that Detective Duncan acted when she and Mac wanted to see Quinn. She had a lot to do…


	7. Chapter 7

When Mac woke up, he was in his office alone. He sat up as he realized he had fallen asleep after taking that medication for his headache. He looked out the window and it was starting to get dark out there. He went into the lab. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked as he approached Danny.

"I was told not to," Danny replied.

Mac rubbed his face. "What did you find on that evidence?"

"No other fingerprints but there was some DNA on the thong."

Mac scowled. "DNA? Whose DNA was on it?"

"There was male and female DNA."

"That's not what I asked you."

"The DNA was too degraded to get a good sample except to tell that it was male and female."

"This doesn't even make sense."

"Mac, what's going on here?" Danny asked. "Who's doing all this to you?"

"If I knew that, they would be sitting down there in a cell by now," Mac said.

"This is obsession, Mac. The only reason I can think of that anyone would steal all that stuff from you is to hurt you."

"I know, and I want to know how they got into my apartment." Mac looked toward his office. "Where is Christine?"

"She left to go back to the restaurant."

"Where is Jo?"

Danny looked back down at the evidence he was working on. "I have to get this processed," he said.

Mac frowned and folded his arms. "Are you withholding evidence from me?" he asked.

"Me? Nah."

"Danny, where is Jo?"

Danny leaned on the table. "She told me not to tell you," he said.

Mac got that "boss" look on his face. "I'm the head of this crime lab and I want to know what she's doing," he said.

"She went to visit Ella McBride."

"What?! When did she leave?"

"Not long after you went to sleep."

"And just where is Ella McBride?"

"Adam looked up the address for her."

Mac left the lab and went to the computer lab. Adam was still sitting in there goofing off on the computer. "Adam!" Mac said sternly.

Adam jumped up out of his chair like he always did. "Boss. I was just…"

"I want the address for Ella McBride."

"Oh!" Adam sat down and looked the address up again.

Mac looked at it and then looked at Adam. "So, Jo told you to keep this from me too?" he asked.

"I just looked up the address for her."

Mac turned and left. He went to his office to make sure the things he left in there were secure and then he went to the elevator. Danny came out there. "I'm going with you," Danny said.

"I don't need anyone with me," Mac said.

"Like I said, I'm going with you."

Mac rolled his eyes and got into the elevator and Danny got in too. They went down to the Avalanche and Mac got into the driver's seat. "You sure you don't want me to drive?" Danny asked.

Mac just looked at him and then put the truck into reverse. "I don't need a…" He could not remember the word… "I don't need a driver."

"Hey, I was just saying…"

"I know what you were saying. Just because I was asleep earlier doesn't mean I can't drive now."

"Yes, Sir."

Mac frowned. He wished he could stop forgetting words. He could not even remember the word for that thing he cranked the truck with. He had strained his brain trying to think of it all the way down to the truck. "So, where are we going?" Danny asked, breaking into Mac's thoughts.

"We're going to my apartment building and we're going to talk to the landlord," Mac said. "I want to know if anyone came around there while Christine and I were away."

"How would he know?"

"Maybe they went to his apartment to pretend they wanted to look at an apartment and stole his keys while he was doing something else."

Mac knew it was a long stretch, but he was wanting to find something that would prove something. He wanted all the locks on their apartment changed too. They arrived at the apartment building and went inside. Mac wondered if Christine was at home now, but he thought she was probably still at the restaurant. She had to close up and take care of the receipts.

Mac and Danny went up to the floor where the landlord lived. Mac knocked on the door and they waited. "What if he gets mad at you and throws you out?" Danny asked.

Mac shook his head. "He can't do that," he said.

Just then they heard the lock on the door and the door opened. "Mac Taylor," the landlord said. "What brings you up here?"

"I need to talk to you," Mac said.

"Come on in."

Mac and Danny went into the apartment. "So, what's this about?" Thomas Wright, the landlord asked.

"Someone's been in my apartment," Mac said. "They stole some items from me…things that can't be replaced."

Danny could hear this irritation in Mac's voice and he was sure that landlord could hear it too. Wright seemed to be shocked by this news. "When did this happen?" he asked as he got a notepad. "Did you call the police?"

Mac frowned. "I 'am' the police. I don't know when it happened but I discovered it today. Somehow they got into my apartment and stole things out of a keepsake box that I had in there. It had to happen when my wife and I were away. I want to know if anyone has visited you and was anywhere that they could have gotten your keys."

Wright thought a moment. "I haven't had any 'guests', if that is what you mean. I'm a married man, you know."

"I asked if someone came to your apartment…anyone. Maybe they came to ask you about an apartment or maybe they asked you about something else."

Wright considered that. "People don't usually come to my apartment when they want to see an apartment. They make an appointment and then I show them the apartment."

"So no one's been here?"

Wright shook his head. "Only people who live here with complaints," he said with a frown. "You know how some people are."

"If you think of anything, let me know."

"Okay."

Mac and Danny left the apartment. "Well that was a dead end," Danny said. "What next?"

Mac was thinking as they walked back to the elevator. "Someone who had access to our apartment…"

Danny knew Mac was thinking something. "What?" he asked.

Mac grabbed his phone and dialed Christine's number. He waited a moment while the phone rang. "Hello," Christine answered.

"Christine, you had your stuff moved to my apartment while I was in the hospital," Mac said.

"Yes, I…" Christine realized what Mac was getting at. "You mean…"

"What company moved your stuff?"

"The Wolberg Company. Oh, Mac, you don't think they had something to do with this."

"Maybe not, but while they were moving things in, the door was open and unlocked. Someone could have sneaked in, might have even acted like they were the one they were moving. You weren't there the whole time, were you?"

"No. I let them in, got some stuff for you and then went back to the hospital."

"That must have been when it happened."

Christine was shocked. "I didn't know, Mac."

"I know. Are you at home?"

"No. I'm still here working on the receipts."

"Something's going on here, Christine. Just be careful."

"I will."

Mac ended that call and looked at Danny. "They had to get in when Christine's things were being moved in," Mac said. "If this was Ella, she must have gotten in and stole that box and they didn't even know that she wasn't supposed to be there."

"So we have to go and talk to the guys who did the moving?" Danny asked.

"Looks like it."

They went back down to the Avalanche. Mac was relieved that the woman probably did not have a key to his apartment. "Call Jo and find out where she is," Mac said as he was driving.

Danny got his phone and called Jo. "The boss wants to know where you are," he said.

"I'm just leaving Wolberg Movers," Jo said. "Why?"

Danny scowled. "Why are you there?"

"Because this is where Ella McBride works. She wasn't at home and she wasn't here either. She hasn't been at work today."

Danny had to absorb that a moment. "You mean…"

Mac was about to explode with curiosity. "Well, what!" he said.

"Ella McBride works for Wolberg Movers," Danny said.

Mac was shocked by that news. "That would mean that…" He knew now that Ella was definitely involved in all this, but he sure did not know why she would make it look like Quinn was involved or how she knew anything about what went on between him and Quinn.

"What's going on?" Jo asked.

"Wolberg Movers is the company that moved Christine's stuff," Danny said.

"Then that would mean that Ella McBride is our prime suspect."

"Looks like it."

"What is Mac doing next?"

Danny looked at Mac and saw that look that meant his brain was working overtime. "He's thinking," Danny said.

Mac glanced at him. "We have to find her and find out why she is doing all this," he said.

"And what else she intends to do."

Mac frowned at that. "Get an APB out on her. I want everyone looking for her."

"Wait, wait!" Jo said. "What are the charges going to be?"

"Stealing! What else? Breaking and entering."

"But she wouldn't be charged with breaking and entering. She was with the movers."

"Well, she definitely stole something from me."

"Stealing is not exactly something that you put out an APB for, Mac," Jo said.

Mac frowned. He knew that, but he also knew there was more to this than just stealing. "Jo, I don't know what she might do next," he said.

"We're going to find her."

"Right."

"Talk to you later, Jo," Danny said.

"Get him to go home and get some rest," Jo replied.

"I'll try."

Danny ended the call and Mac looked at him. "I'm not going home and getting some rest," Mac said.

"Well, I knew that," Danny replied. "But Jo said it."

"I just slept for a few hours. How much rest do I need? I've been laying around for too long already."

"Mac, no one expected you to get up and do what you've always done right away after being struck by lightning. My goodness, Mac, you shouldn't even be up doing all this."

"I can if I want. I want to know what Ella is up to and what she is going to do next."

"She could be anywhere."

Mac was just wondering what she intended to do. "Who could be helping her do this?" he wondered out loud.

"You think she has help?" Danny asked.

"Yes, I do. I just can't see her doing something like this."

"Mac, from what I hear, that girl was obsessed with you before and when people are like that, they may snap. You don't know what has been going on in her life."

"No, I don't, but we need to find out if we can."

Mac dropped Danny off at the precinct and then went on to Christine's restaurant. He went to the door and found that it was locked but the lights were still on inside. He knocked on the door. "Christine!" he called. "It's me!" Mac waited and did not see anything so he knocked again. "Christine!"

Mac was starting to get worried but then he saw Christine come from the kitchen. She walked over to the door and Mac noticed she was not smiling like she usually was when he came. She opened the door and let him in. "Hey, I was beginning to think you were already gone and left the lights on," Mac said.

Christine shook her head. "No, I figured you would come by," she replied.

Mac stared at her a moment. "Is there something wrong?"

Just then, he saw someone else come from the kitchen. Mac frowned as he realized it was Ella. "What are you doing?" Mac asked as he saw the gun in her hand.

"Lock that door and come back here to the kitchen," Ella said. "Or I will shoot her."

Mac frowned and then he and Christine went to the kitchen. "What do you expect to accomplish by doing this?" Mac asked. "Don't you know that people are looking for you?"

"Well, they're not going to find me, are they unless they look where you are?"

"Ella, I thought you were doing good in life and accomplishing something for yourself."

"I guess you thought wrong. I went to college and tried to get a job in a crime lab," Ella said. "I even found out that the head of that crime lab over there knows you! She was your partner a long time ago and when we found out that you were getting married, she told me you were a good kisser."

Mac frowned. "Is she the one helping you in this?" he asked.

"Why do you think someone is helping me? Do you think I'm not capable of doing anything?"

"That's not what I said. I just want to know who's helping you."

"Get in here," Ella said aiming the gun at them.

They went on into the kitchen and stopped beside a vat of pickles. Ella took the top off. "Put your phone in there," she said. "That should fix it up real good."

Mac glared at her but then he dropped his phone in the vat. "Yours too," Ella said to Christine. Christine looked at Mac and then dropped her phone in. "Now, come this way."

Ella waited until Mac and Christine got by here into the hallway that led to the back room and then she walked behind them. Mac was trying to figure out a way to get away from her but he did not want to try anything while Christine was between him and Ella. "Stop at the last door there," Ella said.

Mac stopped at the last door in the hall and waited to see what she would do next. "Take his cuffs and cuff his hands behind him," Ella said.

Christine looked at Mac with fear in her eyes. "Just do it," Mac said. She lifted Mac's suit jacket up and found the cuff holder on the back of his belt where it always was. She took the cuffs out and Mac put his hands behind him. Christine put the cuffs on him as she was trying her best not to cry.

"Mac sure those are tight," Ella demanded.

Christine made the cuffs click once more and then Ella motioned for them to go into the room. The room they were going into was Christine's office which had a desk and everything and a couch. "Lay down on that couch, Mac," Ella said.

Mac looked at her. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I said so!"

Mac glared at her but he did not see any way out of this so he lay down on the couch. Ella pulled the desk chair out and made Christine sit down in it. She tied her to the chair and then taped her mouth. "You don't have to do all that to her!" Mac said angrily. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm just making sure she doesn't interfere and that you stay under control because if you don't do as I say, I will shoot her."

Mac did not know if he had ever been so angry in his life unless it was when those men had kidnapped Christine and made him think she was in Las Vegas. After she had Christine secured, Ella came over to Mac. "Now, you lie still," she said.

Just then, they heard a door open from the next room and someone came into the room. "Hello, Mac," she said.

Mac was thoroughly shocked now as he stared at her. "You?" he asked. "How could you do this?"

"I always loved you, Mac, and you just never wanted me. Now, I'm just going to take you."

Christine did not know the woman but she watched in horror as they moved over to Mac. "No," Mac said. "You don't have to do this!"

"I know I don't," the newcomer said. "I just want to." She straddled Mac and sat down on him to hold him still. "Oooh, this is an interesting position, isn't it?"

Mac watched as Ella was drawing something out of a bottle with a needle syringe. "We have to do something to keep you under control," she said.

Mac looked up into the other woman's face. If he had been shocked about Peyton, he did not know what to call it now, but he hoped somehow he would be able to talk her out of whatever they had planned. He watched as they stuck the needle in his arm and soon he did not know anything…


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope you all like this chapter. I think it might shock you. :) Please send reviews. Thanks for reading. miss37**

Mac woke up to someone nudging him in the side. He felt like he could not wake up even though he wanted to. Whoever was trying to wake him up was very insistent but they were not saying anything. He finally got his eyes open slightly and realized he was sitting up against the wall. "MMM!" someone said as though their mouth was covered.

Mac looked up and it was Christine trying to wake him up. She was tied to another chair and her mouth was tied, and she was crying. Mac finally got himself awake and started to reach for the tape on her mouth but his hands were chained to the wall. He pulled at the chains but he could not move his hands far enough to help her. He looked at Christine. "I can't," he said still groggy from whatever they had given him.

Christine could not lean down to him because her hands were tied around the back of the chair. "Lean over here as far as you can," Mac said. "I'll get it with my teeth."

Christine leaned over to him and Mac started attempting to get the tape with his teeth. "Ow!" Christine said through the tape as Mac pinched her.

"Sorry," he said and tried again. This time he got hold of the tape and pulled it off her mouth.

"Oh, that was terrible," Christine said. She looked at Mac. "It would have been incredibly sexy if we weren't here."

Mac sighed. "How did we get here?"

"After they had you asleep, they loaded us in a van and brought us here."

Mac wished his could rub his face but he could not. He blew out a deep breath. "I can't believe this," he said.

"Who is that other woman?" Christine asked. "Who is the blond?"

"The blond is Ella McBride."

"The woman who was obsessed with you?"

"Yes."

"And who is the other one? Did you date her?"

"No. I worked with her." Mac frowned. "I can't believe this."

"Mac, who is she?"

Mac looked at her. "It's…Stella."

Christine stared at him a moment. "Stella? The woman who worked with you all those years?"

"Yes. Christine, I don't know what is going on here unless Stella is undercover trying to find somebody or…this can't be happening. She can't be doing this."

"She sure did look like she was part of it to me. She didn't mind letting her give you that drug to knock you out."

Mac sighed. "I can't believe this," he said. "I would have thought it was anybody but her."

"You never had a relationship with Stella, did you?"

"No. We were just friends." Mac pulled at his hands but the shackles were tight around his wrists. He looked at Christine. "No matter what happens, you remember that I love you."

Christine started to cry. "Don't say that," she said. "It sounds like you're giving up."

"I'm not I just want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too."

Mac looked around the room they were in. It was a small white room with one window that was up too far for him to see out. There was no furniture except the chair that Christine was sitting in. "Can you see out that window?" he asked.

Christine looked. "No. It's white stained glass. It's dark out there anyway."

"Does it look like it will raise?"

Christine shook her head. "No. It's a solid window."

Mac frowned. "Well, she definitely wouldn't put me somewhere that I could figure out how to get away."

"And she would know how to set this up like this. Mac, if the others discover that we're gone, won't they think Quinn is behind this?"

Mac considered that. "I don't know. Jo might. Our meeting with Quinn was not very pleasant but they will figure out that she didn't do it."

"Why are they keeping us here?" Christine asked. "What could they possibly want?"

"I don't know. I guess we will have to wait and find out."

Christine was cuffed to the chair so she had no hope of getting loose unless she had a key. Mac looked down at his belt and opened the key pouch but the handcuff key was not there. "Do you have bobby pins in your hair?" he asked.

"Yes, but I can't get them," Christine said.

Mac smiled. "Well, do you want to fall over here in my lap so I can get one with my mouth?" he asked.

"Mac, I do not see anything humorous about this."

"Well, get over here and fall over in my lap so I can fish through your hair with my tongue and find a bobby pin."

Christine rolled her eyes. She knew he was just trying to keep her from being so scared. She started moving the chair she was sitting in and finally got it turned around so she could fall in his lap. "Are you sure this will work?" she asked.

"Well, it's worth a try," Mac said.

"Oh, I hope you're right."

Christine closed her eyes and tilted her chair over and landed in Mac's lap. The chair did not feel too good to his legs and it was between him and her as she was on her side. Mac leaned over and searched for a bobby pin in her hair. He finally got his teeth on it and pulled it from her hair. "I got it," he said with the pin in his teeth.

"Now for the hard part," Christine said.

"I don't know." Mac bent over and put the bobby pin in her hand. "Hold it there. I'm going to take it with my hand and then I will try to pick the lock on your cuffs."

Christine felt Mac's breath on her hands as he put the bobby pin in her hand. Since her hands were closer to his hand, he reached up and got the pin from her hand. "Just be still now," Mac said.

Mac began to work on the handcuff lock and soon they heard it click. "Got one side," he said.

Christine jerked her hands around in front of her and rubbed her left wrist. Then she got up and got the chair off of Mac. "Take this and get the other one off," he said.

Christine took the bobby pin and started working on the lock. "I have never picked a lock in my life," she said. "I have no idea what I am doing."

"Just keep trying," Mac said.

Christine kept trying until she finally got the cuff off. Then she got over to Mac's shackles and started working on that lock. "Mac, I don't know if I can pick this one," she said.

"Just try," Mac said.

Then they heard someone opening the door. Christine gasped and sat down beside Mac. The door opened and Stella came in along with Ella. "How did you get out of that chair?" Stella asked.

"I helped her!" Mac snapped. "How could you be involved in something like this!?"

"You have always had such a perfect life, Mac."

Mac could not believe what he heard. "What?"

"You always loved Claire so much and now, you've found someone else who will be showered with endless love from you. You didn't even invite me to the wedding."

Mac frowned. "I'm sorry."

Stella smiled. "You're sorry," she said. "You're not sorry."

"Stella, what happened to you?"

"A lot of things, Mac. I went down there thinking that I could make a difference in the world. All I got was a lot of trouble and the boot."

"What? You were fired?"

"Yeah. For being too rough with a suspect."

Mac frowned. He knew how many times he had been in hot water because of something that Stella had done. "That does not explain why you're doing this," he said.

"Well, do you know why I left New York?" Stella asked.

"No. I guess I don't. I thought it was because you wanted to live somewhere else."

Stella laughed. "Are you really that naïve?" she asked.

"Okay, then why?"

"Because I was in love with you and I was tired of being face to face with you every day of my life wanting you and couldn't have you."

"That is ridiculous. You said you didn't want anything like that."

"Oh I know what I said. I just didn't want you to think that I was after you but when you came all the way to Greece after me, that just did something to me and then there was nothing. After Jess died, well, you probably know what happened."

"Why don't you enlighten me?" Mac asked.

"It doesn't matter now, but I knew you would never want me so I just left. But when I heard that you were getting married…that was just too much for me. Lindsay told me. I guess she didn't know that that would push me over the edge."

"This is crazy! You can't be serious!"

"I am very serious, and now that I know what kind of love you have for Christine…and I know because I saw it with Claire. You don't give your love easily so I know there is a deep love for her if you married her."

Mac's frown deepened. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Stella walked over to him and squatted in front of him. "I mean that you're going to do whatever I want you to do," she said. "Because I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to…Christine."

Mac tried to lunge at her but of course, he could not. "Ooooh, look how angry that made him," Stella teased. "I always loved it when you got angry. Those intense eyes are so beautiful."

Christine could not believe what she was hearing. "He's not going to do anything for you!" she declared.

"Oh yes he will," Stella said. "To save you, he will."

Mac glared at her. "You won't get away with this," he said. "My team will figure this out. They won't be fooled!"

"Yes they will. They're going to think that I came here on a case. They would never think that Stella Bonasera would change to the…dark side." She leaned toward Mac to kiss him but he turned his face. She laughed at him and then stood up.

Stella took her gun out of the holster and aimed it at Christine. "Get up," she said.

"Leave her alone!" Mac yelled.

"I was hoping you would say that. It just lets me know I'm right." She looked at Christine again. "I said get up!"

Christine stood up slowly. "Now, move over here," Stella said.

Mac watched at Christine moved over to Stella. "Don't hurt her, Stella!" he said.

"Oh don't worry, Mac. As long as you do what we tell you, she will be safe. We're just going to have a girl to girl talk." Christine gasped as Stella grabbed her by the hair.

Mac jerked at the shackles. "You're right," Ella said. "He does have beautiful eyes when he's angry, and he's even more handsome."

They took Christine from the room and Mac heard the door lock. "Stella! If you hurt her, I will kill you!" he yelled.

Stella looked at Christine. "See? I knew that's the attitude he would have," she said.

They went down the hall to another room and took Christine inside. There was a large wooden chair in this room with restraints for the arms and legs as well as the body and even a head restraint. Christine thought it looked like an electric chair. "NO!" she screamed and tried to get away from them but she could not. Stella slapped her and finally got her in the chair.

Mac heard Christine scream. "Christine!" he yelled. He felt like his heart was being torn out. He pulled at the shackles and turned around to pull at them even though his arms were crossed. It was no use…he could not get loose. He could not believe this was happening but then his head started hurting. He lay down in the floor and held his head.

When Stella and Ella returned to the room, Mac was lying in the floor half passed out. "What's wrong with him?" Stella asked.

"I don't know," Ella answered.

Mac looked up at them but his vision was blurred a little and his ears were ringing. "What did you do to her?" he asked.

"We're going to show you," Stella said. She unlocked the shackles while Ella held the gun on Mac. "Get up."

"I can't," Mac said.

"Yes you can, now get up."

Mac's eyes were watering and when he sat up, his head seemed to hurt even worse and the tears streamed down his face. He felt sick and thought maybe he could throw up all over them. "Get up!" Stella demanded.

Mac looked at her a moment and then started trying to get up. He leaned on the wall feeling dizzy now. "What is wrong with you?" Stella asked.

Mac realized they did not know he was struck by lightning…but he did not know why they did not know it. Maybe they did not know what that could do to a person. "I was struck by lightning," he said trying to keep his eyes from losing focus.

Stella looked at Ella. "Did you know about this?" she asked.

"No," Ella replied.

"Never mind, you're going in there anyway!" Stella said. She grabbed Mac by the arm and they led him down the hallway to the room where Christine was now strapped into that electric chair.

When Mac saw Christine in that chair, he thought he would collapse, but he did throw up. "What did you do to him!" Christine said.

"He's sick," Stella replied. "He says he was struck by lightning."

Christine stared at Mac. "He's having a headache," she said. "He needs his medicine. You can't treat him like this! He cared about both of you! And this is how you treat him?"

"You just simmer down!"

"Don't tell me to simmer down! You're hurting him! You've already hurt him by taking things that meant a lot to him!"

"You mean you're not even jealous of him keeping things that remind him of another woman that he loved the way he loves you?"

"NO I'm not!"

Mac glared at Stella even though he could barely see. "No I don't!" he said. "Christine is not the same person! I love her for who she is, not because I love her the same as I did Claire!"

"Whatever. I see you're over you're bout of sickness now so take a good look at your new true love," Stella said. "If you don't do what we say, or if you try to give a hint of what's going on, I'll fry her right where she is sitting."

Mac thought his rage would explode inside him. "NO!" he yelled and shoved Stella against the wall.

Ella was shocked as he turned toward her but she held the gun up at him and pulled the hammer back. "Don't move," she said.

Mac glared at her but he had to stop. Stella got back to her feet and she was furious now. "You're going to pay for that," she said.

Mac waited to see what she would do to him. She walked over to him and kneed him in the groin before he even knew what she was doing and then she brought her knee up into his face. Mac hit the floor unconscious because his body had been screaming for sleep anyway. "Mac!" Christine cried.

Christine watched as they dragged Mac from the room. She cried as they locked the door back. She knew that Mac had to have his medication or he would sleep for hours but she thought maybe that would give the team time to find them. She wondered what they intended to make Mac do but she hoped they could find a way out of there before they made him do anything.

Mac slept the rest of the night and the next morning, Stella came in to get him up, but he was not awake. "Wake up," she demanded and nudged his leg with her foot. "Wake up!"

Mac was lying in the floor on a sleeping bag that they had put him on when they shackled him to the wall again. He did not even move. Stella was angry now. She turned to Ella. "Why didn't you find all this out before we kidnapped them?" she asked. "If he can't do anything but sleep, he's no good to us."

"I didn't know about this," Ella said. "I'm sorry. How could I find this out? Why didn't 'you' find it out?"

"We'll have to ask her how to get him up."

They went down to the room where Christine was and went in. "How do you get him to wake up?" Stella asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Christine asked.

Stella leaned down in her face. "You don't want me to get rough with you," she said. "Now, how do you get him up?"

Christine did not want to but she did not want to make things worse. "You have to just set him up and talk to him until he wakes up," she said. "Once he's awake, he's fine."

"You better not be lying."

Stella went back down to the room Mac was in. She got him by the collars and pulled him up. "Wake up, Mac!" she said and slapped him. "Wake up!" She shook him. She was getting more furious by the minute. "Wake up!"

Mac started to move his head a little. "Wake up, Mac!" Stella said again.

"I'm awake," Mac said sleepily.

"No you're not! Wake up!"

Mac could hear Stella talking but he was dreaming that it was Christine. Stella kept shaking him until he opened his eyes a little. "Wake up," she said.

Mac finally got awake enough to realize that she was not Christine, and then he remembered where he was. He looked around him. "Christine," he said. "Where is she?"

"There you are," Stella said. "Finally. Now, today, our plans are going to get into action." She held Mac's face and pushed his head against the wall. "Are you listening in there?"

Mac stared at her still feeling incredibly sleepy. "Yes, I hear you," he said.

"Good. Because today, you're going to do something that you never thought you would," Stella said.

Mac leaned against the wall and watched Stella and Ella go out the door. Ella stopped a moment and looked at him before she went out but then went on. Mac remembered what had happened now and he remembered where Christine was…in an electric chair. He sat there wondering how he could get out of this situation but he was so sleepy, he finally lay down and gave in.

Christine sat there in that chair wondering what she could do to get out of there and she wondered if Mac was okay. She knew that he would sleep all day if he did not get his medication. It was one of the effects the lightning had on his body. No one knew why it occurred, it just did. She wished they would let her stay with him. He had several problems that he would be faced with and she wanted to help him. She knew she was not far from the room that Mac was in…as a matter of fact, she thought she was in the next room. She could not move at all because she was restrained in the chair but she thought maybe she could yell at him. She wondered if those two would leave any time today…and she also wondered where they were. They had blindfolded her while they were on the way there so that she would not know where they were going.

Stella came back in there where Christine was. "Well, now, I have to get going," Stella said as she took out a needle.

Christine stared at it as Stella drew something out of a bottle and then came over to her. "No," Christine said.

"Don't worry. You'll sleep for a while and you'll never know that you're restrained."

Christine could do nothing as she gave her the shot. "Why are you doing this?" she asked before the drug could take effect.

"I just feel like it," Stella replied.

That was the last thing Christine knew…

Stella went out of that room and locked the door. "Stay here," she said to Ella. "They're looking for you, so you need to stay hidden. Don't go in there where Mac is. He's dangerous even if he is sick."

"I know that," Ella said.

"Good. I have to get going."

Ella watched Stella leave and then she sat down. She was not sure she liked this plan. She had not wanted to kill Mac or Christine. She had just wanted to take Mac away from Christine but she knew he would never love her. Stella was right: Mac did not give his love easily. If he married Christine, he truly loved her. She looked in at Mac who was still lying there sleeping. She was not sure she liked this plan anymore but it was too late…she was already in it.


	9. Chapter 9

When Christine woke up, she realized someone was standing and staring at her. It took her a moment to focus on Ella. "So you're awake," Ella said.

Christine just stared at her. "Where is Mac?" she asked.

"He's in there sleeping. How long is he going to sleep?"

"He will sleep all the time if he doesn't get his medication."

"Why?"

"It's one of the side effects of being struck by lightning. He has to have his medicine."

Ella shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Where is it?" she asked.

"It's at our apartment but his medicine for his headaches is in my purse at the restaurant."

Ella folded her arms. "If they see me, I'll be arrested," she said.

"You deserve it. How could you do something like this to him? He cared about you when no one else did."

"Well, he had a funny way of showing it."

"He told me a lot of things that happened. Mac has a caring heart and you are stomping on it right now."

"I don't have to listen to this." Ella turned to leave the room.

"Just think about this…when you get caught, who do you think is going to help you? Do you think Stella is going to help you? She is going to make it look like you did it. Why do you think you're having to stay here?"

Ella frowned but then she left the room. Christine felt like crying but she wanted to get Mac's attention if she could. "Mac!" she yelled as loudly as she could. "Mac!"

Mac was deep asleep but he thought he heard someone saying his name. "Mac, wake up!" the voice yelled. Not just a voice…Christine's voice.

Mac opened his eyes. "Christine," he said. He sat up and remembered where they were. He was still chained to the wall but he heard Christine yell his name again.

"Mac!"

Mac shook his head trying to get himself awake as he heard her yell his name again. "Christine!" he finally yelled.

Christine gasped when she heard him as she had been about to give up. "Mac!"

"I hear you!"

"Are you awake!?"

"I'm getting there!"

"Can you stand up?"

Mac shook his head. "No! The chains are too short!"

Christine could not believe this situation they were in. She did not see how they could get out of it. "Mac!"

"I hear you!"

Christine thought he still felt groggy. "Mac, no matter what they say, you can't do what they want!"

Mac absorbed that a moment. "What?"

"Mac, you can't do what they want just because of me!"

Mac realized what she was saying. "I will not let them hurt you!"

"They will just keep using you! You can't!"

"I love you," Mac said but it was not loud enough that she could hear it. He did not have the strength to yell anymore. He still felt sleepy and wondered if he could stay awake if he did not get up soon. He leaned against the wall and wondered what they would want him to do. He had no idea what they had planned or what his part would be in it.

Stella got herself ready and headed for the crime lab. She knew she could walk right in there and they would trust her without even questioning her. After all, she still had her detective status even though she was not working at the time. They would never guess that she was holding Mac and his beloved Christine hostage. She hated the fact that Mac was married again. She thought maybe after she had ruined Mac's reputation completely, she would just kill Christine right in front of him while he was helpless to stop her.

Stella went into the precinct expecting to see Don Flack there but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a woman at his desk. Stella walked over to her. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm looking for Don Flack."

"He's on sick leave," the woman said. "I'm Jamie Lovato. Can I help you?"

"I'm Stella Bonasera. I used to work here in the lab. I was hoping to see Mac and the others in the lab."

"Oh, well, I can call and get clearance for you."

"Good. You do that."

Jamie got on the phone to the lab and told Jo that Stella was there. Of course, Jo had heard of Stella. "Well, bring her on up," Jo said.

"Okay," Jamie replied. She hung up the phone and got Stella a visitor's badge and took her up to the lab.

When Stella walked out of the elevator, Lindsay was there to greet her. "Hi, Stella," Lindsay said and hugged her. Lindsay was about four months pregnant now.

"So how are you doing?" Stella asked.

"I'm doing great, and I've already felt the baby move."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess after the first one, you're more sensitive. What brings you here?"

"Oh, I was wanting to talk to Mac about something and let him know that I'm working on a case in the city, you know, hunting down a desperate criminal."

"Oh, well, Mac isn't here yet, but you can talk to Jo Danville. She's the new second in command."

"How do you like her?"

"She's great and a lot of fun."

They walked down the hallway. Stella remembered coming down that hall many times. She saw Mac's office, still as neat as a pin and had all his pictures on the wall. Lindsay led her down to Jo's office, which used to be her office. Stella was shocked to see the office. It was cluttered with files and post-it notes and all sorts of papers. There was a woman sitting at the desk who had long, dark hair and green eyes which looked like they could see beyond the exterior of a person. She stood up.

"Good morning," Jo said as she looked at the woman who had curly hair and green eyes. "I'm Jo Danville."

"Stella Bonasera."

"Well, it's nice to see my predecessor."

"Nice to see my replacement doing so well."

"I'm afraid Mac isn't here yet. He's been having some health problems lately. I guess you don't know he was struck by lightning."

Stella tried not to roll her eyes at that remark. "When did this happen?" she asked, trying to sound surprised and concerned.

"Just a few days ago. He's doing better now, but he may have had to take today off since he had a full day yesterday."

"You haven't tried to call him? Wow, things have changed around here. If Mac didn't show up for work, it was almost an international incident."

Jo smiled. "Well, he's realized that he can't be here twenty-four hours a day," she said.

"Do you know when he will be in?"

"No, but I can call and check."

"Great."

"Well, I have to get back in the lab," Lindsay said. "It's good to see you, Stella."

"You too," Stella replied. She felt smug since they did not know that she was holding Mac hostage. She would make it look like Mac had gone off the deep end and the lightning thing would just add icing to the cake. They would think the lightning strike caused him to snap and maybe she would make them think that he even killed Christine.

Jo dialed Mac's number and waited but the phone went straight to voice mail. She wondered why that happened…it would mean that his phone was off. "I just got his voice mail," she said. "I'll try Christine's number." Of course she got the same thing. "That's funny."

"What?" Stella asked as though she did not know.

"Both their phones went to voice mail."

"Maybe they don't want to be disturbed."

Jo considered that but she did not think Mac would want her to share all the information about that case with Stella. If he had not told her, she would not tell her either. "I guess they're busy or something," she said.

"I'll come back later then. Can you tell him that I was here? I'm working on a case here and just wanted to drop in and say hi and let Mac know."

"Of course. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

"I'm sure he will," Stella said trying to hide her smirk.

Jo scowled as Stella walked away. She thought that woman seemed a little smug. And what was she doing here? She said she was working on a case? What case? Jo had not heard of any cases that involved anyone from New Orleans. They had not been contacted by anyone from New Orleans. They usually heard about it before the detective ever arrived in the city. She got up and went into the lab as she was sure Stella had left. "Lindsay, how much do you know about Stella?" Jo asked.

"Well I worked with her for a little over five years," Lindsay said. "I know her pretty well."

"Have you been corresponding with her?"

"We used to a lot more than lately. I guess we're too busy." Lindsay looked at Jo. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. I haven't heard of any cases from New Orleans around here," Jo said.

"There are so many precincts in the city, it could be either one. She just wanted to see Mac."

"It's odd, though, Mac and Christine's phones both went to voice mail immediately when I called them," Jo said. "Where are they?"

"I assumed Mac would be here this morning to work on that case again."

"So did I." Jo looked at Lindsay. "I think we should check on them. I'm going to call Christine's restaurant."

Jo went back to her office and got her phone. She dialed the number to Christine's restaurant but did not get an answer there either. She hung up the phone and sat there clicking her inkpen for a moment. She knew Mac would not run off without at least letting her know, and she knew he would not run off with this case still up in the air. She went to the computer lab where Adam was already working on things.

"Adam," Jo said. "I want you to try to trace Mac's cell phone."

Adam started typing on the computer and ran the trace, but of course, he did not find it. "It must be off," he said.

"Try Christine's phone."

Adam did the trace again but got the same results. He looked at Jo. "You think they're in trouble?" he asked.

"I don't know. See if you can get the phone company to turn the phones on and trace them."

"I'm on it."

Jo went back to the lab and Danny was just arriving and so was Sheldon. "Guys," Jo said. "Adam just tried to track Mac's and Christine's phones and he can't get a trace on them."

"What's going on?" Danny asked.

"Mac is not here and I can't get either of them on their phones. It goes straight to voice mail. There's no answer at Christine's restaurant."

"What about their apartment?"

Jo got her phone and tried that number but of course got no answer. "Nothing," she said.

"And on the day right after all this other happened," Sheldon said.

"Danny, you and I are going to the restaurant. Sheldon, you get Lovato and go to the apartment and see what you can find."

Lindsay watched as they all left. She did not go out on missions while she was pregnant but she hoped they found something…

Danny and Jo went to the restaurant and found that the "Closed" sign was in the window but the lights were on in the restaurant. Jo knocked on the door but of course, there was no answer. She tried the knob and found that it was not locked. She looked at Danny and they both drew their weapons as they went in. "N.Y.P.D.!" Danny yelled into the place.

They went into the restaurant and headed toward the kitchen. They found nothing as they got to the back room until they found that Christine's purse was in the floor with the contents spilled out. Jo looked at Danny. "Something's wrong," Jo said.

Danny got his phone and called it in as a case, possible abduction. "If they have Christine…"

"They have Mac too," Jo finished.

Ella was going back to the place they were keeping Mac and Christine. She had gone to get Mac's medication and had barely gotten out of the restaurant before Jo and Danny arrived. She knew Mac would not be able to do anything if he did not get that medicine. She had watched him in the room he was in and he had barely been able to stay awake. She pulled her car into the garage and closed the door and then went inside. Stella was not there so she would not know that she had left if she did not let her know that she was giving Mac medicine. She went into the room where Christine was sitting in the electric chair.

Christine looked up at her as she came in. "I got his medicine," Ella said.

Christine could not believe it but she looked at the bottles in Ella's hands. "Well, you should give him both of them," she said. "He needs one of them twice a day and the pain medication every six hours."

"Which one keeps him awake?"

"He needs them all! That is only two of them! He needs those medicines for pain! He has been sleeping but when he gets awake, he will start having a lot of pain. You can't treat him like this! This is torture!"

"I went to get the medicines! I couldn't go to the apartment. They're starting to get suspicious already!"

Christine glared at her. "Just give them to him!"

"I will!"

Ella left that room and got a bottle of water for Mac to take the medicines with. When she walked into his room, he was lying on the sleeping bag. "I brought your medicine," she said.

Mac was barely awake. She went over to him and gave him the two pills. "That's all I could get," she said.

Mac looked at the pills in his hand and then took them with the water. He lay back down and closed his eyes. Ella watched him a moment and then left the room. Despite what Stella thought, she did not really want to hurt Mac. When she first got involved in this, all she had thought about was seeing Mac again. She had met Stella in a bar and Stella had recognized her. As they talked, they had conspired together to mess up Mac's happiness. After all, why should he be so happy when they were not? At first, it was just to steal some things and hurt him that way, but then it had turned into kidnapping. Now, Stella intended to force him to do something…and she did not know what. She supposed she could let Mac go, but Stella would probably kill her…and what about Christine? Did Stella really intend to kill her?

"Hey!" Christine yelled.

Ella went down to that room. "What?" she asked.

"I need to go to the bathroom. How long do you think a person can sit like this?"

Ella stared at her a moment. "If you try to escape, you're going to cause harm to come to Mac, and me too," she said.

"I won't," Christine said.

"I shouldn't but I will take you."

Ella went over to Christine and got her out of the chair. She held the gun on her as she took her to the bathroom. Christine went into the bathroom and started to close the door but Ella put her foot in the door. "The door has to stay open," Ella said.

Christine went on in. She looked at the window in the bathroom but it was just like the ones in the other rooms. She finished what she had to do in there and then Ella took her back to the room. "Please let me see Mac," Christine begged.

Ella looked around and then at Christine. "If I let you do that and Stella comes back while you're in there, she would be angry," she said.

"How did you get in this?"

"Never mind that. I'll let you see him for a minute but then you have to get back in there before Stella comes back."

Ella let Christine into the room where Mac was. He was still lying down. "Mac," Christine said as she knelt beside him.

Mac opened his eyes and looked at her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Christine stroked his hair. "I should be asking you that."

"Oh, I'll be alright. I'm just lazy."

"Mac, how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy. My feet hurt."

"Your feet?"

"Yeah. It's like something's stinging me."

"Stinging you?"

Mac nodded. "I just feel tired."

"Your medicine ought to help soon."

"I hope so."

"Come on," Ella said. "You have to go back."

"Just a few more minutes," Christine said.

"No! Stella will be back soon."

Christine leaned over Mac and kissed him. "Mac, listen to me," she said. "Don't do what they want because of me."

Mac stared into her eyes a moment. "I will do what I have to," he said. "I will not let them hurt you just to protect myself."

"Mac, you can't. You don't know what they will ask."

"You don't either."

"It can't be anything good. Mac, please, listen to me."

"I'll figure out something."

"Come on!" Ella said anxiously. "You have to get back in there!"

Christine kissed Mac again and then reluctantly went with Ella. She thought about trying to run so they would not have any leverage over Mac. But she figured that would only succeed at getting her hurt or killed. She knew if she was hurt, Mac would be even more likely to do what they wanted.

Ella took Christine back into the room. "Why do I have to be in that chair?" Christine asked.

"Because Stella said so," Ella replied. "Now sit down."

Christine had to force herself to sit down and let Ella strap her back in. She got her in just in time because then they heard the front door open. Ella hurried and closed the door where Christine was.

"Ella, where are you?" Stella called.

"In here," Ella replied. She realized she was afraid of Stella.

Stella came down the hall. "So how are our guests?" she asked.

"They're fine," Ella answered.

"I assume you took them to the bathroom, gave them some breakfast?"

"I took her to the bathroom but not him, and I didn't give them breakfast."

"Well, how do you expect him to do anything without food?" Stella asked. "Anyway, I brought take-out." She looked at Ella. "Don't ever take him loose alone. I was just testing you."

Ella watched as Stella walked on down the hall. She wondered if she expected her to feed them but she supposed she would just unchain one hand and let them eat. She went into the kitchen which was one of the most drab and colorless kitchens she had ever seen. The food Stella had brought was sitting on the table in bags.

Ella looked into the bags and found three breakfast plates. She supposed one of those was for her. She took one of the plates out and took it into the room where Christine was. "Are you right-handed or left-handed?" Ella asked.

Christine stared at her a moment. "Right," she said.

Ella unstrapped her right hand and set the plate in her lap. "Enjoy."

Christine was not sure she could eat. She could not stop wondering what they intended to make Mac do. She picked up the fork and wondered why they were even feeding her. She figured they would kill her and when they were done with Mac, they would kill him too.

Ella walked into Mac's room. He was sitting up now and looking as intense as ever. She knew he was right handed, so she did not have to ask. Mac glared at her as she set the plate down. "You know I could take that key from you," he said.

"If you do, she will kill Christine before you can even get to her," Ella warned and looked into Mac's eyes. She was practically face to face with him. She unlocked the shackle on Mac's right wrist so that he could eat. "Just eat your breakfast." She tried to touch Mac's face but he jerked away.

"Get away from me," Mac said.

"You know, you're going to need my help to get out of this so you better be nice to me."

Mac glared at her. "I'll take my chances," he growled.

Ella stood up. "Enjoy your meal."

Mac watched her leave the room. He supposed he better eat. He took a bite of the egg on the plate. He hoped he could figure out a way to get out of there and save Christine too. He knew Ella was right Stella could kill Christine before he even got out of this room.

When Mac was done with his breakfast, he had to go to the bathroom. Ella came in to get the plate. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said.

"I'll be back," Ella replied.

Ella went down to where Stella was. "He needs to go to the bathroom," she said.

"So take him," Stella said. "And remind him that I have the switch that controls that chair that his wife is sitting in."

Ella went back down to Mac's room thinking that she was becoming a slave. She went over to him. "Stella said to remind you that she has the switch that controls the chair your wife is sitting in," she said.

"I haven't forgotten," Mac snapped.

Ella took the shackles off of Mac and then led him down the colorless hallway to the bathroom. "You have to leave the door open," she said.

"No I don't!" Mac said and slammed the door.

Ella folded her arms and leaned on the wall. She wished this place could have some color to it at least. It was all the same color…that drab off-white color. She hated staying there but she had no choice now because she was wanted and Stella said they would be rich after this was over and Mac would be in prison.

Mac came out of the bathroom. He looked toward the room where Christine was. "I want to see her," he said.

"You can't right now," Ella replied. "Just go on to your room."

Mac went on but he was thinking about how long it would take him to run from his room to Christine's room. Then he would have to break the door down. After that,,, he would have to get Christine loose before Stella could electrocute her. He swallowed hard thinking of that. He could not remember the lightning strike but he had seen people who had been electrocuted before. He had certainly never watched an execution but he knew it was not anything he wanted to see.

As Ella was putting the shackles back on him, Mac figured she might be their only hope of getting out of there alive. "Ella," he said quietly. "Help us and I will help you. You haven't done anything like murder yet."

Ella looked into Mac's eyes. "But you'll never love me," she said.

"Ella, that's ridiculous. I never did anything to make you think that I wanted to have a relationship with you. I was just trying to help you because I care about people. You don't have to be like this."

"Great speech, Mac," Stella said as she walked in the door.

Ella stood up and quickly swiped a tear from her face. "He's shackled," she said.

"Good, then go and finish your breakfast while Mac and I have a heart to heart talk."

Ella left the room and Stella went over to Mac. Mac glared at her. "How could you do something like this?" he asked. "This is insane."

"Well, when you have lost everything, I guess you don't have anything else to lose."

"Stella, why didn't you come and talk to me?"

"What for? You never loved me even though I was in love with you and tried to make it obvious."

Mac sighed. "It wouldn't have been appropriate," he said.

"Oh, no, don't give me that speech. You are so dense…I don't know how Christine go to you."

Mac looked at her. "She's different and I love her."

"How did she get your attention in that shell?"

"It wasn't hard."

Stella frowned and squatted in front of him. "Well, now, you're going to do my bidding," she said. "I know how much you love her."

"And there's nothing you can do about it." Mac could see the anger in Stella's eyes and he thought she would slap him, but instead she grabbed him in the crotch.

Mac gritted his teeth as he was pressed up against the wall. "I can sure make it so you can't have sex for a while," she said.

Mac could not say anything. He just glared at her. She moved closer to his face. "Aren't you going to yell?" she asked as she squeezed harder.

Mac thought her would die but he forced himself not to cry out. She tried to kiss him but he had the presence of mind to turn his head. She let go of him and then slapped him. Mac finally got his breath back and tried not to whimper.

"Oh, you think you're so tough," Stella said.

"What do you think you're going to accomplish by doing this?" Mac finally asked.

"I'm going to be rich. Of course, I'm not poor but I'll have enough to get out of here and no one will suspect."

"Jo will see through you. If you think you can fool her…"

"Oh I already met Jo. I went to your lab and made them think I was there to see you. They didn't know that I had you here. You should have seen me. I could have won an academy award."

"They will figure it out."

"No, they will be looking for my little accomplice in there."

Stella stood up. "But, today I have a plan for you. You're going to do what I tell you because I'll be listening and if you even give a hint or look funny, Christine will be dead long before you can ever find this place."

"I will not help you!"

"Oh really?"

Stella unlocked the shackles and pulled Mac up. He was still in pain and found it hard to stand up straight let along walk. "Aw, did it hurt that bad?" Stella asked in a mocking way.

Mac was getting angrier by the minute, but he could not fight at the moment. She led him down to the room that Christine was in. Stella shoved Mac against the wall and pulled out a remote which had two switches on it.

"What are you doing?" Mac asked.

"I'm showing you something," Stella said.

Mac watched in horror as she flipped one of the switches. He stared at Christine as he heard an electronic whine. Christine gasped as she felt as though she were surrounded by static.

Mac saw the hair on Christine's head stand up. "NO!" he yelled. "Stop!"

"Don't worry, Mac, this switch just powers up the chair, but this other switch will make her a piece of toast."

"Stop it!"

"Are you going to cooperate?"

Mac swallowed hard and looked at Christine. "No, Mac," Christine said.

Mac wished he could do something but he could not. "I will," he said. "Just stop."

Christine tried not to cry but it was hard. Mac stared at her as Stella flipped the switch off again and led him out of the room. He knew he would have to do whatever she wanted until he could find a way to let Jo and the others know what was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

Jo and the rest of the team were in the lab going over the evidence that they had, which was only Christine's purse. There had been nothing unusual at the apartment except that Mac and Christine were not there. The fingerprints on the purse had been Christine's and Mac's.

"It doesn't seem like anything is missing from the purse," Lindsay pointed out.

"This can't be nothing," Jo said.

"As far as we know, Mac and Christine have gone off somewhere together and have their phones turned off."

"But the restaurant wasn't even locked and the lights were on. That's not normal and it is just a little unusual for a woman's purse to be lying in the floor like that."

"But it could have fallen off the desk."

"Whose side are you on?"

"I'm worried too but we have to have some sort of evidence that a crime has been committed."

"Okay, we will go at this from another angle: Mac has had someone break into his apartment, not to mention that someone had tried to kidnap them before. Now, they have disappeared."

Lindsay frowned. "Is the chief going to go along with that?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Jo said. "Right now, we have to locate Mac and Christine."

Just then, they were shocked to see Mac walk out of the elevator. They did not know that he was trying desperately to hold his composure. He tried not to swallow too many times. He knew how observant Jo was. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

Jo and Lindsay came from the lab. "Mac, where have you been?" Jo asked. "We couldn't reach you at all."

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "We just went and spent the night in a hotel room." Mac hated lying and he could hardly keep from breaking down right there.

"But the door to the restaurant was unlocked."

"Oh, well, I guess we forgot to lock it. I kinda just swooped in and whisked her away."

Jo stared at him a moment. "You scared us when you didn't come in this morning. Your ex-partner, Stella Bonasera, was here this morning too."

Mac knew Jo was fishing. She had been at this job a long time and she was not easily fooled. "Oh really?" he asked trying to act surprised. "What was she doing here?"

"She wanted to discuss a case she is working on. I haven't even heard about anything involving New Orleans. Have you?"

Definitely fishing. "Well, I don't hear about 'every' case in the city. Did she say she would be back? Maybe she had to go to court."

Jo stared at him a moment. "Yes, she said she would be back," she said.

"Okay then." Mac noticed Christine's purse on the table. "Why is that here?"

"We didn't know what had happened to you guys," Lindsay said.

"That was found in the floor of Christine's office," Jo added. "It was spilled."

Mac stared at the purse. "A robbery?" he asked.

"Doesn't seem to be anything missing."

"Well, I'll take that and give it back to Christine."

"We'll have to check it out of evidence," Lindsay said.

"I will."

Mac took the purse and went to his office. He thought he would not be able to keep this up. He could not keep making up lies.

Jo looked at Lindsay. "He's lying," Jo said.

Lindsay looked surprised but she had to admit…he was acting strange. "What?" she asked.

"He is obviously not telling us the truth. I think something's wrong."

"Like what?"

Jo looked toward Mac's office where he was just sitting there as though he were in deep thought. "For one thing, he didn't even ask about his case we've been working on," Jo said. "He seems to be preoccupied."

"What's he hiding?" Lindsay asked.

"I think it has something to do with that case." Jo looked at Lindsay. "And I hate to say it, but I think your friend, Stella, is involved."

"What?! That's impossible. She even asked where Mac was."

"Yes, but she didn't ask about how he was doing since he was struck by lightning. It was a cover-up. And other than that…I just thought she had an attitude."

Lindsay could not believe what she was hearing. "You don't know Stella," she said.

"Sometimes it takes an unfamiliar observer to see what's really going on."

"I can't believe it."

"Let's just wait until Stella returns and see his reaction."

Jo watched Mac as he started looking through files to sign. She knew something was not right and she wanted to know what. She knew the direct approach would not work. If Mac was this afraid of letting them know, someone had leverage over him. She had to wonder where Christine was and she did not think Mac acted like a man who had spent a passionate night in bed with his wife.

Jo hung up her lab coat and went to Mac's office. "So, you two got so carried away that you forgot to lock the door to the restaurant?" Jo asked.

Mac stared at her a moment. "Yes," he said. "I guess we just went out and forgot."

Jo folded her arms. "Must have been a good hotel."

"One of the best."

"I'm just glad you and Christine are happy."

"We're very happy…together."

Jo could barely restrain herself from just blurting out that she knew he was lying. Mac knew Jo had to know that he was being less than honest. "If you don't have anything else, I need to get to work here," he said.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I better get to work too. Danny and Sheldon are at a crime scene right now."

"Are they? Do you know any details?"

"Not yet, but it's strange that neither of us got that text."

Mac knew Jo was still fishing. "I didn't," he said. At least he could be honest about that.

Jo realized she was not going to get anything yet. "See you later," she said.

Mac was relieved that she left. He did not want her to keep trying to get information. He could not tell her anything because Stella had put a bug on him so she could hear everything he said, and he knew she was going to show up. He did not know how he would pretend that he was glad to see her.

Soon, Sheldon and Danny came in from the crime scene. Mac went into the lab to see what kind of case they had. "Mac?" Danny and Sheldon said at the same time.

"We thought you were lost," Danny said.

"No. Christine and I just stayed in a hotel last night," Mac said. "So, what have you got here?"

Danny stared at him a moment thinking there should be more to that story. "Uh, we have a guy who was stabbed," he said. "I have to get the pictures developed, but whatever he was stabbed with was big and long, and whoever killed him took the murder weapon with them."

"I'll go with you to see Sid when it's time," Mac said.

"Okay."

Mac went to the evidence locker to get the evidence that went with the case. Sheldon and Danny looked at each other. "That's it?" Sheldon whispered.

"Mac ran off like that?" Danny asked.

"Well, he is married."

Mac stopped a moment outside the evidence locker. He knew the others had to suspect that he was lying. It was what made them such a good team…they were suspicious. If Stella thought she could fool them, she was wrong. Mac knew she thought because they knew her that they would not suspect her of anything. However, Jo did not know her, and he had never seen a more suspicious or perceptive person than Jo.

Mac got the evidence for the case and went back to the lab. He put on his lab coat, and then remembered his aphasia. He certainly did not want to compromise the case. He got the chain of evidence log and a notepad. He would make notes about everything he did.

Lindsay came into the lab. "Oh, are you going to help me?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I feel like working in the lab." He hoped he could keep his mind off Christine sitting in that electric chair.

Mac took the fingerprints from the crime scene and scanned them in. Sid had fingerprinted the victim so their fingerprints were the first. "Dustin Covin," he said. "Any other information on the victim?"

"Yes," Lindsay said. "Dustin Covin is twenty-three years old, a student at Chelsea University, a Vermont Driver's License. He lived in the dorm there."

Mac scowled. "And his body was found where?" he asked.

"In a movie rental store. He worked there."

"So maybe it was robbery?"

"According to Danny's notes, the owner said that the money from the safe had been taken to the bank when he left, so they wouldn't have gotten much."

"So maybe they went there intending to murder the victim."

"Or they didn't know the money was out of there."

Mac scanned the next fingerprints which turned out to belong to the store manager, Bill Denson. It was not unusual for his prints to be there. The next print was unknown and so was the one after that. At least they were in the system now and if they found the person who matched those prints, they would see if they had a reason to be there.

Danny soon came into the lab with the crime scene photos. Mac took the photos and looked at them since he was not at the scene. He stared at the wound in the victim's chest. "Whatever he was stabbed with went all the way through him," Danny said.

"So it had to be something pretty long and sharp," Mac replied.

Mac smiled a sarcastic smile. "Who takes a weapon like that to a robbery?" he wondered out loud.

"It sure seems like a strange weapon for something like this," Danny said.

Suddenly, Mac frowned and Danny thought his face turned a shade whiter as he was looking out of the lab. Danny looked to see Stella coming from the elevator. He scowled wondering why Mac had reacted in such a way.

"Stella's here," Lindsay said. Mac swallowed hard and then tried to look surprised. "Oh, well I guess I better go see her," he said. He took off his gloves. "Take care of this, Danny."

"Sure," Danny said. He watched Mac walk out of the lab, and then looked at Lindsay. He could see that Lindsay was wondering too.

Mac walked out into the hall where Stella was. "Mac!" she exclaimed with a smile as though she were glad to see him. She hugged him. "How have you been?" she asked. "How's the wife?"

Mac stared at her a moment. "I'm doing alright," he managed to say. "Christine is beautiful and wonderful."

Jo came around the corner. "Well, you're back," she said.

"Yes, I had to see my best friend," Stella replied.

Jo looked at Mac whom she thought looked stony. "So, why don't we go to my office?" Mac asked.

"Sure," Stella agreed.

They went into Mac's office and he closed the door. "I don't think you're doing a very good job of looking normal," Stella pointed out.

"I'm not a liar," Mac said.

"You could at least act like you're glad to see me."

"I'm not. Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm just setting up the plan. You need to act happier. You know I have the switch and it can reach it from here."

"What do you think you're going to do?"

"You'll see soon."

Jo and the others were in the lab. "Now are you convinced?" Jo asked. "I have never seen such a fake meeting."

"Yeah and Mac didn't look happy to see her," Danny said.

"Danny, I want you to go to Christine's restaurant and see if she's there," Jo said. "If she's not, go to their apartment. I want it to be seen in person. I'll take care of the evidence."

"I'm on my way," Danny said.

Danny left the lab and headed to the elevator. Mac saw him and hoped they would not do anything to endanger Christine. He knew they would not do it intentionally but if Stella thought they were figuring it out, she might kill her.

"Just keep your cool, Mac," Stella was saying. "They can't prove anything."

"Do you really think they won't see through this?" Mac asked.

"You better hope not for Christine's sake. The first switch is already on."

Mac frowned. He remembered how it had felt in that room when she activated that chair. "Turn it off," he said.

"I will when I get out of here."

"Stella, please. Christine has done nothing to you."

"Doesn't matter. She's my key to you." Stella laid a piece of paper on Mac's desk. "Don't read that until I'm gone. It's your instructions for today. And remember, I'm listening."

Mac watched her leave and looked at the paper on his desk. He could do nothing to stop Stella until he could get that switch. He picked up the paper after Stella got into the elevator, and then he saw Jo coming that way. She came to his office and started to say something but Mac shook his head and put his finger to his lips for her to be quiet.

Jo nodded. She had known something was wrong. She watched as Mac wrote something on a paper as he read another paper. She decided she better talk about something. "Lindsay is still analyzing the evidence from the crime scene," she said. "There was evidence that he had been in a fight and there was a piece of skin on his tooth. We figured the one who was fighting him hit him and it snagged the person's knuckle."

"Let me know how that comes out," Mac said. "I will go down to see Sid in a few minutes."

"Good. I'll go with you."

Mac gave Jo the paper and just stared at her a moment, but Jo nodded and went back to the lab. "Lindsay, I was right," Jo said. "There is something wrong with Mac."

Lindsay walked over to Jo and they read the message Mac had written:

_Christine is being held hostage by Stella Bonasera and Ella McBride. Ella is a weak link. She has Christine in an electric chair and will electrocute her if she thinks I have told anyone. She has a mission that she wants me to do for her and if I refuse, she will kill Christine. My mission today is to steal a delivery of diamonds that are arriving this evening. Please help me. I don't know what to do. After I steal them, she will pick me up to take the diamonds and take me back to the place she has been holding Christine and me. I don't know the location._

_Mac Taylor_

Lindsay looked at Jo. "What can we do to help him?" she asked.

"We have to show this to the Commissioner and the chief so they can figure something out," Jo said. "We have to keep this tight. No one outside our immediate team can know about this."

"And Danny went to see if she was at the restaurant and apartment," Lindsay said.

"Call and tell him not to go there. She might see him. I am going with Mac to the morgue."

Lindsay hurried to her office to get her phone. Jo went out into the hall and motioned for Mac to come on. He put on his suit jacket and went with her to the elevator. He was trying to think of a normal conversation they would be having but it was hard for him to think of anything but Christine.

"Did you see that wound?" Jo asked. "What kind of weapon can do that?"

"We'll find out," Mac said. "I want to see that wound in person."

Mac found it hard to concentrate and his hands were shaking part of the time. He had barely been able to write that note for Jo. Jo folded her arms. It made her angry that someone was doing this to Mac when he had just gotten married and then had another tragedy. She hoped Mac would take more vacation after this was over.

When they got down to the morgue, Sid was studying the wound in the victim with his back to them. Mac thought it would be a perfect time to sneak up on Sid…if he felt like playing around. He sighed at that thought. He had thought he would be enjoying life right now.

"Sid," Jo said.

"Oh, hello!" Sid said. "I was just studying the wound on this young guy. Whoever did this had a lot of strength and thrust with a lot of force."

"I noticed," Mac replied. He looked at the wound. It was definitely all the way through. "So this could have been done with a…a, uhm…"

"A sword, I would say," Jo said trying to cover up.

"Right. It would have to be something like that to go all the way through."

"And if you look at the exit wound," Sid said, "you can see that it must have gone pretty far out the back because the exit wound is torn."

Mac looked at that wound tract. "Definitely something sharp," he said. "I guess I will have to go into the weapons…the arsenal to see what kind of weapon was used."

"Right," Jo said. "I love to watch you experiment with weapons in the lab."

"Did you find anything else, Sid?" Mac asked.

"The victim appears to have been in a fight prior to his death," Sid said. "He had some bruises on his face and hands. I also have his clothes."

Mac took the evidence bag with the victim's clothes in it and also the photos Sid had made of the bruises. "That's all I have except some trace that I found in the wound tract. Not sure what it is," Sid said. "There were no signs of any sexual activity or anything. In fact, I would say that he probably had a shower before this happened."

"Thanks Sid," Mac replied.

Mac and Jo went back to the elevator. Jo wished she could talk to mac about his situation and comfort him. She thought of something and took her notepad out. _"Is the wire on your or a bug on your clothes?" _Jo wrote.

Mac read the note while Jo said something about the victim. He took the pen. _"It's a bug on my clothes somewhere," _he wrote.

Jo took the pen back. "_Go and change clothes," _she wrote. _"Before you go to the weapons lab."_

Mac read that as the elevator doors opened. He wished he could talk at the same time he was writing but he had to concentrate to think and he could barely think while Jo was talking and trying to cover up the fact that they were passing notes.

Mac shook his head. "_That would be too obvious," _he wrote.

_"You don't know where the bug is," _Jo wrote. _"You always change clothes when you're doing this sort of experiment."_

_ "It's too risky." _Mac knew he would change clothes to do experiments. He did always do that but he did not want to endanger Christine.

They went into the lab. "I have the victim's clothing and some trace that Sid found in the wound tract," Mac said to Lindsay. "I am going to figure out what kind of weapon was used."

"Okay," Lindsay replied. "I'll get on these. Danny is on his way back."

Just then, Sheldon walked in. He stared at Mac with a knowing look and nodded. Mac was glad his friends knew now. "I'll help you, Lindsay," Sheldon said.

"I'll meet you in the weapons lab," Mac said and looked at Jo. He finally remembered the word 'lab'.

Mac went to his office and left his suit coat. He was pretty sure Stella would not put the bug on that because he never kept that on in the office. He went to the locker room to change clothes and just as he was opening his locker door, his phone rang. He looked but it was a "restricted" number.

"Taylor," Mac answered.

"Don't even try to get rid of the bug," Stella said. "That elevator ride was awful quiet. You're not trying to be deceptive, are you?"

"You know I would never endanger Christine's life."

"Well, you better hurry with your experiment. I know how long you stay in there. The diamonds will arrive after dark when the jewelry store is closing at around six p.m. That's when you're going to steal them."

"Stella…"

"Just do what I say."

"Why are you doing this? You won't be able to sell those diamonds anywhere. They're traceable!"

"You would be surprised. Don't argue with me. I know what I'm doing."

Mac frowned. "You won't get away with this."

"No one will know it's me. See I won't be anywhere near where you're committing that crime."

Mac ended the call and changed into a t-shirt. He sighed as he went to the weapons lab. Jo met him in the hall but he shook his head to let her know he could not talk. He went on into the weapons lab and opened the cabinet that held swords and other large weapons.

Mac tried to get his mind on the case he was working on. He knew the weapon had to be pretty long to go all the way through a person. It could not be anything small. He looked at all the swords in the cabinet and sighed as he remembered forgetting the word sword and lab. Would he ever be normal again? Would Christine think he was old and not worth her attentions?

Jo came up beside Mac and noticed that he was not even looking at what was in the cabinet but staring into space. She turned Mac around and hugged him. "I love you, Mac," she whispered in his ear.

Mac trembled in her arms. She could feel his fear and it tore at her heart. Mac broke the embrace and turned back to the cabinet as Jo thought she saw tears in his eyes. She wanted to talk to him so badly. "So, which one are we going to stab with first?" she asked.

Mac took one of the swords from the cabinet and looked at it. "That was a pretty narrow cut but the sword was long enough to go all the way through the person," Mac said. He walked over to the dummy that he had set up already and put on his lab coat. "Better cover up. I think this is going to be messy."

Jo put her shield over her face and stood back to wait and see what would happen. Mac thought maybe this would help him relieve some tension. Mac took the sword with one hand and stared at the dummy a moment, trying not to imagine that it was Stella. He could not believe that she was doing this…how did she get in this state of mind? How could he help her? He shook his head and blew out a breath. He had to stop thinking about that and get his mind on this case.

Jo watched as Mac stabbed the sword into the dummy and blood spewed out and practically covered him. He looked at her and swallowed hard and then pulled the sword out. They looked at the wound on the dummy and the wound on the victim. "That looks about right, but figuring out which sword he was stabbed with is going to be the difficult part," Jo said as she put her arm around Mac and leaned on his shoulder just to try and let him know that she cared about his situation.

Mac knew she cared about him but he wished she would not do that because it made him want to just sob loud enough that everyone in that building could hear him. "Well, we can say one thing," he said. "Whoever did this had to have blood all over them."

"I want to see those crime scene photos again," Jo said. "With that much blood flying, there has to be something…I mean, how do you get blood all over you like this and then walk out of this place without anyone seeing it?"

"Good question, but they probably went out the back way into the alley."

"And took this sword with them? And had this blood on them?"

"No. I think this murder was planned and I think they brought extra clothes and they had something to put the sword in."

Jo looked at Mac with her mouth open. "You think this person killed him and then took the time to change clothes and put the sword in some sort of case?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "It's the only explanation. And maybe they left those clothes somewhere around there."

"I'll get Lovato on it."

"How is Flack?"

"Grumpy. He hates having to stay with his Gram and be waited on but she insisted that he stay there so she can make sure he stays off that foot until time to walk on it."

Mac smiled. "He's lucky."

"Yeah. Let's go look at those photos."

Mac took off his lab coat and the shield and laid them on the table in the weapons lab. He was glad he did not have to clean up that mess. He followed Jo out of there…just hoping that something would happen that he could get out of that situation with Stella…


	11. Chapter 11

**I hope you will all enjoy this chapter and that you will send reviews. :) Thanks for reading...miss37**

Mac and Jo went back to the lab and got the crime scene pictures. "See? There is a void there in the blood spatter," Jo pointed out. "When the murderer stabbed the victim, the blood hit them and then the walls there."

Mac nodded. "But that doesn't prove who did it," he said.

Lindsay was analyzing the trace that Sid had found in the wound tract of the victim. "Mac," she said. "Look at this."

Mac and Jo went over to the analysis screen. "One of the trace elements in the wound is gold," Lindsay said.

Mac scowled at that bit of news. "Gold?" he asked. "You're telling me that our victim was stabbed with a gold sword?"

"Well, no, probably only the pummel. The other element in the trace is stone. Gold would be too soft to make a sword.

Jo was amused now. "Stone? They don't make swords out of stone."

"Not today," Lindsay said. "But in the ninth and tenth centuries they did."

Mac leaned on the table to get a closer look at the monitor. "Are you telling me that our victim was stabbed with a thousand year old sword?" he asked.

"Yes. And not just any old sword." Lindsay brought up another screen. She watched as Mac and Jo stared at the screen. "This sword is made from the same stone as Stonehenge," she pointed out.

Jo's mouth dropped open. "A stone sword with a gold pummel?" she said thoughtfully. "The sword of Charlemagne?"

"That's impossible," Mac said. "That sword is supposed to be in a museum in Vienna."

"It was sold to raise money for the museum," Lindsay said.

Mac and Jo looked at her. "And you know who bought it?" Jo asked.

"Sure do." Lindsay brought up yet another screen with a picture. "Mister Brandon McFadden. He is an avid collector of ancient treasures. It is said that he has the largest collection in the city and maybe in the United States."

"Why would he want to kill a college student with a thousand year old sword?" Mac asked.

"Especially when it can be traced back to him?" Jo added.

Mac was confused now. What did a college student have to do with a big-time collector? "I guess we need to pay Mister McFadden a visit," Mac said.

"I'm ready to do that," Jo agreed.

Mac looked at his watch and frowned. He did not know what the rest of the team was doing but he had noticed that Lindsay was the only one in the lab. "Where's Danny?" he asked.

"He and Sheldon are searching the victim's apartment," Jo said.

"Maybe they can find some connection."

Jo was writing Mac a note while they talked. "I hope so," she said while she continued to write.

Mac wondered if he would ever be able to do that again…talk and write at the same time. He felt like his brain got confused when he tried to carry on a conversation. He could sure do nothing else while he talked. He had to concentrate on what was being said.

Jo showed him the note: _Lovato is tracking Stella. Danny is helping her and Sheldon is searching the victim's apartment. We are going to find Christine. Maybe they won't have too much trouble rescuing her if they can get Stella under control._

Mac had a look of worry on his face as he and Jo left the lab and headed for his office. He put his suit jacket on but he knew the evening was coming on fast. He wrote: _They have to get that switch from her. She will not hesitate to kill Christine. I want to be there if they find her._

Jo read the note as they walked to the elevator and Mac talked. "Maybe I should have worn a tie," he said.

"Why?" Jo asked as she was writing something else.

"We're going to visit this rich guy."

"Oh, Mac, he's not the President. If we were going to see him, I might have worn a dress. He might as well get used to seeing underdressed people if he killed that boy."

Mac figured she had a point there. He waited for the elevator doors to open. Jo gave him the note as they got into the elevator. _They will notify us by text. Don't worry._

Mac could not keep from worrying. He could only think of Christine sitting there in that electric chair and an insane person had the switch. That was the only explanation that he could come up with to explain Stella's behavior: she had lost her mind. He thought all the pressure that she had allowed herself to get under had finally gotten to her. He hoped they could get her to give up. He did not want to see Stella die. He wondered if something had happened to her on the job down there in New Orleans. He thought he would have to contact her superior down there and find out.

They went down to the Avalanche and Mac let Jo drive. He leaned back on the seat and blew out a breath. Then his phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac, are you alone?" Stella asked.

"No. I'm on my way to question a suspect."

"Is Jo with you?"

"Yes."

"You better get that interview done quickly. That diamond shipment will be there around six-thirty. Once they get them into that safe, we will have to take drastic measures to get them. Don't make me have to take drastic measures."

"You know how things go sometimes. You can't tell what will happen."

"You can figure out a way to get away, so do it."

Mac heard the phone click and put his own phone away. He looked at Jo and nodded. He took the notepad and began writing while Jo talked.

"Who was that?" Jo asked.

"Uhm…it was…" Mac scowled at looked at Jo as he could not remember Lindsay's name. "Uhm, it was Sheldon," he said instead. "He and Danny finished searching the victim's apartment. They have the evidence back at the lab and they and…" Mac frowned.

"Lindsay?"

"Yes. Lindsay is helping them."

Mac looked out the window and rubbed his forehead. How could he not remember her name? He had worked with her for years, he was her child's godfather. Just then, his phone rang again. "Taylor," he answered.

"Taylor," Chief Burns said. "What's going on?"

"We're on our way to question a suspect."

"Yes, I heard a very interesting rumor that it's Brandon McFadden."

"Yes, sir, it is."

"Do you really believe that man would commit murder?"

"Sir, we believe the sword that was used to kill the victim belongs to this man."

"A sword?"

"Yes, but not just any old sword. It's an ancient sword, the sword of Charlemagne, Joyeuse, as I believe it's called."

Chief Burns was silent a moment. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yes I am. There were traces of gold and stone in the wound tract that match that sword. And since he owns the sword, he is our first stop."

"I see. Well, don't ruffle too many feathers."

"I won't."

The call ended and Mac looked at Jo. "Chief Burns," he said. "He heard we are going to see Brandon McFadden."

"Well, he's not above the law," Jo replied.

Mac finished writing his note and showed it to Jo as she was stopped at a red light. _Get Adam to run a check on Stella and find out if she had any injuries while she was working for the police department in New Orleans. Especially head wounds. I think there is something deeper here. This is not normal for her._

Jo looked at Mac wondering if he was going to be sympathetic toward Stella because he had known her so long. It could get him killed, but Mac just stayed lost in his thoughts. He could not think of anything except Christine sitting in that chair. He knew she was scared, not to mention how uncomfortable it must be. He thought, _Just hang in there, my sweetheart. I will get you out._

Jo sent Adam a text with the request for information. He was surprised but he began digging…

Christine was feeling very miserable. Of course she was still sitting in the chair, but at least, the chair had been deactivated and she did not feel like all her hair was standing on end. Ella had been feeding her and bringing her water and taking her to the bathroom. Christine thought that was the worst part of it wall was being let out of that chair and then having to sit back down there. She had thought many times about trying to overtake Ella, but she always had the gun when they were going back and forth.

Ella came into the room with a bottle of water. "Are you thirsty?" she asked.

Christine frowned. She thought she had been thirsty since this started. "Yes," she said.

Ella had been keeping Christine's right hand free so she took the lid off the bottle and gave it to her. "Maybe this will be over soon," she said.

Christine tried not to roll her eyes at that. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "This is going to end in murder. She will never let me go alive."

"You don't know that."

"Believe me, I have been in this situation before. When somebody goes this far, they're going to commit murder to get away with it, and she will probably kill you too."

"She just wants something to make her life better."

"So she kidnaps Mac and me? She could have asked Mac to help her, and so could you."

"He wouldn't do anything for us."

"Yes he would have. He would help you now if you would let me go."

Ella was silent as she thought about what Christine said, but then Stella walked in. "You wouldn't consider betraying me, would you?" Stella asked.

Ella whirled around. "No!" she said. "I was just giving her some water."

"You seem to care a lot about her…maybe too much. Are you letting her get to you?"

"No. She's just talking but that doesn't mean I'm listening."

"Good, because I wouldn't want to lose my partner. We are very close to our goal. Mac will do the robbery in just about two hours. I have a plan, and we will be gone before they can even find out that Mac did it."

"How?"

"You'll see, now get out of here and stop talking to her."

Ella got the bottle of water from Christine. "What are you making Mac do?" she demanded.

"You will know soon enough when he goes to prison," Stella said.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I hate life…and because I can."

"They will know that you did this! They probably already know. You can't fool them."

"You better hope I can." Stella took the switch out again. "Your life depends on it."

Christine waited until Stella got out of the room and then she began to cry. She wished she could talk to Mac, but she knew he was not there. She hoped he would not get into trouble that he could not get out of.

Mac and Jo arrived at Brandon McFadden's home which was a huge mansion. Mac thought it probably had forty rooms. He wondered what anyone needed with that many rooms. He supposed they could just decorate them all, or invite a whole bunch of people to spend the night.

Jo rang the doorbell on the house which they did not hear, and they waited. Mac looked at his watch again and Jo noticed it. She hoped Danny and Jamie were having some luck finding where Stella was holding Christine. If they could not find her, they would have to be extremely careful if they tried to take Stella out before they found Christine, and they might never find her if they did not follow Stella there because Mac did not know where the place was.

Finally they heard someone unlocking the door. There was a tall, thin man at the door and he was dressed in a suit. "Yes?" he asked as though he were bored stiff.

"We're looking for Brandon McFadden," Mac said and showered the man his badge. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor."

The man looked at the badge as though it meant absolutely nothing to him. "Mister McFadden has no dealings with the police. Why do you want to see him?"

Mac stared at him a moment. "Do you see this badge?" he asked.

"Quite clearly."

Mac raised his eyebrows. "Go get him."

The man frowned, if it was possible for him to frown further and then opened the door for them. "Come in, but do not touch anything," he said.

Mac and Jo walked into the foyer where there was a bench sitting beside the wall to their left. "Wait here," the butler said.

Mac gave him a slight glare and sat down. The butler walked away. "Oh, that was just so rude," Jo said. "I don't know how people get anywhere being so rude."

"Me neither but I guess he's paid to be that way," Mac said. "Don't touch anything," he said in a mocking way. "What does he think we are, kids?"

Jo almost laughed. She had never heard Mac say anything like that. She wished so much that they could find Christine but she had heard nothing from Jamie yet. Danny had not called either. She wondered how long these people would keep them waiting.

Jamie was sitting on a street corner in an unmarked car. She was watching what she thought might be the place where Stella was holding Christine. She had followed Stella from a distance so she would not suspect that she was being followed. Jamie thought it was harder to follow someone like Stella than anyone else. Her phone rang. "Lovato," she answered.

"Hi, Love," Don said. He knew what was going on too. "How's it going?"

"I think I found them but I'm not sure yet."

"I hope this is over soon."

"Me too. I want to go back to chasing everyday criminals."

"Me too. I'm dying sitting here in this chair."

"Aw, I'll come and take you to play ping-pong when this is over."

Don laughed. "I thought we gave that up."

"Well, sometimes you just need some fun."

"I can agree with that."

Mac was about to get aggravated when finally the butler came back with his squeaky shoes. "Mister McFadden will see you now," he said.

Mac was clearly agitated as he followed the snooty butler into another room. They passed through the front room and went into a dining room that had a ten foot dining table in it and several chairs. Brandon McFadden was sitting at the far end of the table. "Come, sit down," McFadden said in a cheerful way, as though they were there for dinner or something.

Mac and Jo went down there and sat on each side of the table. "Have a glass of lemonade," McFadden offered.

"No thank you," Mac said. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor. This is my partner, Detective Jo Danville."

"Brandon McFadden. What brings you here?"

"Well, I'll get right to the point," Mac said. "Do you own the Sword of Charlemagne?"

McFadden frowned. "Yes. Why?"

"Because it was used in a murder last night."

McFadden's mouth dropped open. "That is impossible," he said.

Mac took his file from his briefcase and took out the analysis. "I'm afraid it's not," he said.

McFadden stared at the paper. "This is ridiculous."

"Where do you keep that sword?"

"In my collection."

"Can you show it to us?" Mac pulled out the warrant that he and Jo had picked up.

McFadden looked at the warrant and then at Mac. "You're serious," he said.

"Do you think we would come out here for a joke?"

McFadden stood up. "Well, come this way."

Mac and Jo followed McFadden up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. "So you use these rooms for collections?" Jo asked.

"Mostly," McFadden answered.

They went into a room that had several weapons cabinets and tables with display glass. McFadden led them over to a cabinet that had one sword in it that was propped up on a display rack. "This is the sword," McFadden said.

Mac and Jo looked at the sword. "We're going to have to take this," Mac informed him.

McFadden was shocked. "Are you serious? Do you know how much I paid for that sword?"

"I'm sorry but we have to take it."

"Will I get it back?"

"If it is determined not to be the murder weapon," Jo said.

"And if it is?"

"We don't know," Mac said. "Now, just give us the sword."

McFadden opened the cabinet as Mac put on a pair of gloves. Mac lifted the sword from the case and scowled as he thought the sword should have been heavier. As he brought the sword from the display, McFadden gasped. "That is not my sword!" he exclaimed.

Mac frowned. "Who all has access to this room?" he asked.

"Only myself and Malcolm, and of course, Marla."

"Who are Malcolm and Marla?"

"Malcolm is the butler and Marla is the maid."

"Have you had any parties where you let people view your collections?" Jo asked.

"Yes, just a few nights ago."

"We need to know who all was in attendance. I'm sure you have a guest list."

"Yes, we do. Malcolm can get that for you." McFadden stared at Mac. "Someone stole Joyeuse and murdered someone with it?"

Mac raised his eyebrows at that reference. "It looks that way," he said.

Mac and Jo dusted the sword display for fingerprints and searched for any evidence they could find. By the time they had that done, Malcolm had the guest list from the party. They took the fake sword and the guest list and headed back to the lab. "I think the butler did it," Jo remarked.

Mac smiled slightly. "You never know," he said. "I think he is too stiff to move enough to do that."

Jo laughed, and just then, her phone rang. "Danville," she answered.

"Jo," Jamie said. "We have definitely located that hideout. I saw Stella Bonasera come out of the garage in a car. I have not seen Christine or Ella McBride."

Jo knew she could not talk about it because she was in the Avalanche with Mac. "Okay," she said. "I'll look at that when I get back to the lab. I hope that will help us capture the one responsible."

Jamie knew she must be with Mac. "Roger," she said. "Do you want me to see if I can get in?"

"No just document it and wait for me."

"Okay."

Jo ended the call and then looked at Mac. "Lindsay found something interesting," she said.

"Great," Mac replied. "I hope those fingerprints will give us something to go on."

"I'm sure they will. I'll just bet the person who did this did not think anyone would know that particular sword was used."

"The question is: why did they kill Dustin Covin? Did he have some enemy? What was he involved in?"

"I think we may have to go to college to find out."

"Right."


	12. Chapter 12

As Mac and Jo walked out of the elevator at the lab, Mac's phone rang. He gave the evidence to Jo so she could sign it in. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac, I hope you're ready for your mission," Stella said.

"I am as ready as I'm gonna get."

"I'll text you when it's time. You better decide how you're going to get out of that lab without making your friends suspicious."

"Stella, please, give this up."

"I can't. Good bye, and don't be late."

Mac sighed as the call ended. He dreaded this but he had to go through with it until they could get Christine out. He got a notepad and wrote a note for Jo and went into the lab. Jo read the note: _She is going to text me later. Have you found Christine?_

_ We think we have, _Jo wrote. _Jamie saw Stella come from a garage._

Mac nodded. _That must be it, _he wrote. _I was in a garage with the car before she blind-folded me._

_ I will text you when we have Christine, if you get to keep your phone._

Mac nodded and shrugged. _I only have a phone because she wants to keep in contact with me. _Just then, his phone rang with a text. He looked at the text and then looked at Jo. "I'm going to meet Christine for dinner," he said. "Let me know when that evidence is ready."

"Will do," Lindsay replied.

They watched Mac go to the elevator. "Oh, I can't stand this," Jo said. "I hate it because we can't comfort him or anything."

"Me too," Lindsay agreed.

Mac went down and started to get a cab, assuming that he was going to Christine's restaurant to meet them, but then Ella drove up to pick him up. Mac frowned and looked around him. He thought she was awful bold to pick him up right in front of the precinct. He got in the car and she headed for their destination.

"So, Stella sent you to do her dirty work," Mac said.

"She wants me to take you where the diamond exchange is taking place."

"Oh yeah, so if we get caught, it won't have any bearing on her."

"We're not going to get caught."

Mac wished he could overtake her but he could not now. He knew Stella still had that switch and she was most likely listening to them. He had seen cameras in the place she had been keeping them even. He could also tell that it was time for his medicine again. "Don't tell me you're going to help me," he said.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Ella replied. "Just don't forget that Stella has the switch and the chair is activated."

Mac frowned. "If you don't give me my medicine I'm going to have a headache," he said.

Ella looked at him. "You're just lucky that I brought it with me," she said. "Otherwise we would never have time for that. It's in that bag there."

Mac looked at the bag and the opened it to get the medication out. There was even a bottle of water there. He got the medicine and the water and took the medicine. "How did you get into this?" he asked.

"Stop asking me this," Ella said. She drove to the diamond exchange and parked across the street.

Mac frowned as he recognized the jewelry store he used. "Do you really believe that we can just walk in there and take those diamonds and get away with it?" Mac asked.

"I'm sure we can," Ella replied. "They will know you, and I'm not going in."

"What does them knowing me have to do with it?"

"You happened by and saw them and wondered what was going on. After all, you're one of the most trusted and well-known cops in the city."

"That will never work."

"But your badge will get you in and when they get suspicious, you take the diamonds."

"That's insane. Don't you know they are going to have security?"

Just then, Ella's phone rang. "Let me talk to Mac," Stella said. Mac took the phone. "Stop asking questions. I studied this very carefully and it is a 'very' secret exchange."

"If it's so secret, how do you know about it?"

"Well, you know Mister Gerald. He has a big mouth. See, he knows me too."

"You're just taking advantage of the situation."

"Exactly. See, I've been here in New York since before your wedding. I thought about kidnapping your bridge but I thought I would wait."

"Peyton was in on this?"

"How'd you guess? I guess you can't predict nature, can you?"

"So those two who were with her lied."

"They didn't know everything."

"And Quinn?"

"I never liked her."

"Why did you steal my memory box?" Mac asked.

"Because I could."

"Stella, give this up. What happened to you?"

"Just do your job."

Mac heard the call end and gave the phone back to Ella. He wished he could talk to Jo but his phone had been taken…

"Mac is out of touch," Jo said to the others in the lab. "Jamie has seen Christine now and she and Danny are about to try and get her out."

"I finished the background check on Stella," Adam said. "I think she really is messed up. According to this, she had a severe head injury about a year ago. She was in a coma for three days."

"Why didn't we know about this?" Lindsay asked.

"I don't know. I guess she couldn't tell us or didn't want us to know."

"I think it was about a year ago that I noticed that she didn't write as often but I thought she was just busy and finally we lost touch. I had told her when I first found out I was pregnant and after that, it just kinda stopped."

"Did you notice anything strange about her letters?" Jo asked.

Lindsay thought a moment. "I did notice they were getting shorter and almost sounded…philosophical. Like she was viewing the world differently. She seemed happy about my pregnancy but we didn't talk on the phone anymore."

"So maybe she's having some sort of mental breakdown." Jo got her phone. "I have to call the precinct she worked for and see what they know about this."

Mac and Ella finally saw a car arrive at the jewelry store. Mac saw Mr. Gerald get out and was watching around him as he was unlocking the door. He sighed as he thought of how Mr. Gerald would think of him as protecting him. He hoped there was some way out of this, but he knew Stella was listening to everything.

"Go on now," Ella said. "You can figure out what to say."

Mac sighed and Ella gave him a gun, his own gun, he realized. He glared at her wishing he could do something but he had to think of Christine. He knew these two were not going to get away with this. He got out of the car and headed across the street. He could see the light on in the store and decided that would give him the best reason for showing up. He walked up to the door and tried it but it was locked. He knocked on the door.

Mr. Gerald heard the knock and peeped out to see who was there. He was relieved to see Detective Mac Taylor at the door although he wondered why he was there. He went to the door and unlocked it. "Detective Taylor, what are you doing here?" Mr. Gerald asked.

Mac went blank for a moment but he cleared his throat. "Well, I was passing by and saw the light on," he said. "I was wondering why you're here so late."

"Come in."

Mac went in feeling like a complete traitor. "I'm expecting a diamond shipment," Mr. Gerald said. "Uncut diamonds so that I can make unique jewelry."

"Oh," Mac said trying to sound like he was surprised. He knew now why Stella wanted those diamonds. They were uncut and could not be traced, and could be made into anything and sold at her leisure.

"I have been so nervous about this with all the robberies going on lately, but now that you're here, I feel safe."

Mac frowned. "I'm glad," he said.

Soon, another vehicle arrived at the jewelry store and two men got out, one carrying a large briefcase. Mac watched as Mr. Gerald let them in. "Good evening, gentlemen," he said.

The two men greeted him and then stopped as they saw Mac. "This is Detective Mac Taylor," Mr. Gerald said. "He's one of the most trusted detectives in the city."

"What's he doing here?" one of the men asked.

"He was passing by and wondered why my light was on. Don't worry, we're safe with him."

Mac hated this situation more by the minute. They all went into the back room and the man with the briefcase set it up on the counter. Mac was surprised at the look of the diamonds when they opened the case. It was not every day that one saw uncut diamonds like that.

"Oh, aren't they gorgeous?" Mr. Gerald asked. "Even uncut, they're beautiful."

"Sure are," Mac replied. He swallowed hard as he took out his gun. "Give them to me."

Mr. Gerald was thoroughly shocked. "Detective Taylor, what are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" Mac asked, feeling like he would choke on the words. "Don't ask questions, just give them to me."

One of the men started to reach into his coat. "Don't do that," Mac said. He pulled the hammer back on the gun. "Take that weapon out and give it to me…and you too."

Both of the men took the weapons out. "Put them in the briefcase and close it," Mac said. "Hurry up."

They did what he said and then gave him the briefcase. "Get in that closet there," Mac said. They got in and Mac locked the door which had a padlock on the outside. He leaned on the door facing a moment and then went out the back door. As he was going down the alley, the car drove up at the end, but instead of Ella driving, it was Stella.

Jamie and Danny had gotten into the place where Christine was being held now that they realized that no one else was there. "She's on this hall somewhere," Jamie said.

"Christine!" Danny called.

Christine was shocked to hear someone calling to her. "In here!" she called. "Hurry! The chair is activated!"

Danny walked up to the door. "That door looks sturdy," he said. "Maybe if we kick it together."

"I'm with you," Jamie replied.

"On three…one, two, three…"

Mac got into the car with Stella. "Good job," she said and they zoomed away.

"Where is Ella?" Mac asked.

"Well, you know there are always casualties."

Mac looked at her. "You killed her?"

"You don't think I would leave her to ran on me, do you? She was too weak."

"Stella, you have to give this up."

"Why? I've got the diamonds and they're going to be looking for you."

"They're already looking for you. Give this up!"

Stella looked at him and pulled the car over into an alley. "So, you cleverly found a way to let them know," she said in a menacing way.

"Stella, what happened to you?"

"So much, Mac." Stella took out the switch. "Everything that happened, I just thought of you and that I wouldn't be there if I could have been with you. I just got angrier and angrier and then I couldn't contact you. I was too embarrassed so I just started hating you."

"Stella, please don't kill Christine."

"Oh I know she's one of the innocent."

Mac grabbed at the switch as Stella tried to flip the final switch. "NO!" he yelled.

Danny and Jamie kicked the door three times before they got it open. "Let's get her out!" Jamie exclaimed as she could feel the electricity in the air.

They began unbuckling the straps. "Please hurry!" Christine cried. When they got her hands loose, she started helping get the straps undone.

As they got the last strap undone, they heard a beep. Jamie and Danny grabbed Christine's arms and jerked her out of the chair. They all hit the floor at the door as the electricity sparked in the chair. Christine screamed with fear but Danny and Jamie were shielding her.

Mac was horrified beyond belief as he turned off the switches. He knew if Christine was in that chair she was dead. His fear quickly turned to rage as he saw Stella running down that alley with the briefcase. He got out of the car and yelled, "Stella!"

Stella whirled around and fired at him. Mac jumped behind a dumpster. "Don't bother trying to use that weapon, Mac," she said. "It's filled with blanks! You really think I would give you real bullets?"

Mac looked at the bullets in the gun. She was telling the truth. He stood up and threw the gun at her, hitting her in the back of the head. Stella screamed and fell to the ground. Mac ran to her and took the gun out of her hand while she was addled. "No!" Stella screamed. She kicked Mac in the back of his knee so hard that he fell to his knees. He drew back his fist to hit her but he could not. He just aimed the gun at her. "Don't make me shoot you," he said. "I don't want to shoot you."

"Well, if you want to stop me, you'll have to because that's the only way you can stop me," Stella said. She picked up the briefcase and stood up.

"Stella, don't."

"Go ahead and shoot me, Mac, if you have the guts."

Mac was fighting to keep his hand from shaking. "Stella, you're not going to get away with those diamonds."

"Yes I am."

Stella turned her back to him and started walking. Mac knew he could not shoot her. He had the fleeting thought that no matter how much training a person had, when it came down to something like this, their heart got in the way. He put the gun away and just went after her. Just then, he heard sirens and lights were flashing. "Stella, stop!" Mac yelled.

"N.Y.P.D.! Put your hands up!"

Mac tackled Stella but she was not out of fight yet. He tried to get her arms but she punched him in the nose. He caught her next punch but she brought her knee up into his stomach. Mac finally got her arms behind her but then a bright light shined on him.

"Get off that woman!" the officer yelled.

"I am Detective Mac Taylor!"

"He's trying to rape me!" Stella yelled. "He stole a case of diamonds!"

"She's lying!"

The officers could see the briefcase on the ground. "Where's your ID?" one of them asked.

"I have my badge!" Mac said.

"Get up! Both of you!"

Mac let go of Stella and put his hands up as he stood up. "Stand up, Ma'am," the officer said.

Mac was angry but he had to be proud of how the officer was doing his job since he did not know him. "Show me your ID," the officer said.

Mac reached for his badge and he was glad Stella had not taken it. As he was pulling his badge out, they saw a flash of movement as Stella jerked something out of her pocket. She threw it on the ground between them and grabbed the briefcase and started running. The small canister popped into a cloud of tear gas.

Mac tried to get out of it but his eyes were burning. He realized that the officers were turning toward Stella. "NO!" Mac yelled. "Stella, stop!"

Stella did not stop and one of the officers fired. Mac saw Stella's body jerk as the bullet hit her in the back. He felt like he was watching it in slow motion as Stella fell to the ground. "Stella!" Mac yelled. He showed the officers his badge and ran to Stella.

Mac turned her over and her eyes opened. "Stella, they're calling an ambulance," he said.

"Mac?" Stella said. "What are you doing here?"

Mac was confused. "Don't you remember where you are?"

"New Orleans. Are you here on the case?"

"All that doesn't matter. We're gonna get you out of here."

"Oh, Mac, I heard you were dating. You better hang on to this one." Stella closed her eyes. "I don't feel any pain now. If I had to die…I'm glad you're…here."

"Stella! Stella, don't give up!"

"I love you, Mac. You're such a precious friend…be happy."

Mac watched as Stella took her last breath. He could not help but cry. He did not understand what just happened: it was as though she did not remember anything that happened. He sat there with her until the ambulance arrived.

They took Stella's body on a stretcher and then Jo arrived. "Mac! Mac!" she called. "Mac!"

Mac looked and saw Jo coming toward him almost running. She thought he looked like he was in shock. Jo grabbed Mac in a hug. "We've explained everything about the diamonds," she said. She looked at Mac and put her hands on his face. "Christine is okay, Mac."

Mac looked at her. "What?" he asked.

Jo turned and pointed and Mac saw Christine getting out of the car. Mac stood there a moment, stunned and unbelieving. "Mac!" Christine exclaimed.

"Christine?" Mac started toward her and could hardly believe he was really seeing her.

Christine ran and threw her arms around his neck. Mac squeezed her to him and she could feel him trembling. "We're okay," she cried.

Mac had thought she was dead but here she was in his arms. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, Mac. Take me home."

Mac looked at her. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the emergency room?" he asked. "Just to be safe."

"I will if you want me to."

Mac smiled for…he felt like…the first time in ages. "I do," he said. He hugged her to him feeling like he could not stand on his feet much longer. "After everything gets settled down again, we're going to…'our' cabin and we're going to take an extended vacation."

"I'm with you."

Mac looked back at the ambulance that was taking Stella's body away and then he and Christine walked away arm in arm. "I have to talk to Mister Gerald," Mac said.

"Is he here?" Christine asked.

"I don't think so but someone is going to take me to see him, and I'll be detained for questioning."

Christine held his arm. "I don't want to be away from you right now," she said.

"You won't."

Mac went to the jewelry store with Jamie, and Christine went with him as well. Mr. Gerald looked as Mac walked in. "I'm sorry for what happened," Mac said.

"Your officers explained what happened," Mr. Gerald replied. "I'm sorry you were going through all that, but you sure did scare me. I thought if you turned bad, we were doomed." He looked past Mac. "Is that Christine?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, this is my wife, Christine."

Mr. Gerald shook Christine's hand. "I can see why he went to so much trouble," he said.

"Mac would never hurt anyone," Christine said.

"Unless they were hurting you." Mr. Gerald looked at Mac. "I have the diamonds back so there is no need to ever talk about this again." He shook Mac's hand.

"Thank you," Mac said.

Mac and Christine went back out to Jamie's car. She drove to the precinct. Mac sat there a moment thinking of everything that had happened. He was afraid he would forget something while he was being questioned. "It will be okay," Christine said and stroked his hair.

Mac hoped she was right. They went into the precinct and Mac was taken to an interrogation room. He frowned as he sat there waiting, trying to remember everything that had happened over the last few days. He rubbed his face. He was so tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and go to bed.

Mac was surprised when Don Flack acme in the door in a wheelchair. "Hey, Mac," he said and laid a notepad and pen on the table and a file folder.

"Don what are you doing here?" Mac asked.

"I want to be." He picked up the inkpen. "Can you just tell me what happened? Start at the beginning."

"I'm not sure I can remember everything," Mac said.

"Just take your time. I know you have been through a lot."

"I'm so tired, Don."

"Let's just get this over with."

Mac rubbed his face and leaned on the table. "She was at the restaurant when I went to pick up Christine," he said. "Ella was there and she herded us into the back. Stella was back there. They knocked me out and when I woke up, we were in that place, and I was chained to the wall." Mac felt like he was going to fall asleep. "I took my medicine. I don't know why I feel this way."

"Do you need some water? Food? Anything."

Mac shook his head. "No, I'm just tired. I'll be okay." He continued and told Don everything that happened, missing a few words but just substituted.

"That should be enough," Don said. "With Christine's statement, we should have plenty. Are you sure you're okay?"

Mac rubbed his eyes. "Yes," he said.

"I'll get you out of here soon, and Christine too."

Mac yawned as Don left the room. He thought the weight of it all was coming down on him, but he still wondered about that case they had been working on. He wanted to know how that evidence they had found turned out and whether it would lead to another suspect. He wanted to know who would kill a college student with a thousand year old sword. He shook his head. He knew Dustin Covin had to be in on something that they had not discovered yet. He thought he would have to go home to sleep first before he got back into that case…and he would get back into it.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Mac woke up and sat straight up in the bed. Christine sat up beside him and looked around her. She had almost forgotten that they were home herself. She held Mac's arm. "What is it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "For a minute there, I thought I was still chained to that wall."

"And I thought I was in that chair."

Mac hugged her to him. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Well, it wasn't your fault."

"I should have been more cautious or something."

Christine kissed him. "Oh, I've missed you so," she said.

Mac looked at her and realized how much he had been missing her too. "I've missed you too."

They shared a long, intimate kiss and then forgot that they had been scared a few moments before. Christine got up later and got a shower. She wanted to fix a good breakfast but as she stood at the stove in the kitchen, she felt almost afraid. She did not like feeling afraid in her own apartment. She and Mac had not had much time to get used to living together there in the apartment. She knew what he meant now though about everything being mingled together. She had walked into the closet and saw his clothes on one side and hers on the other and all their things in the bathroom. It just made everything feel so cozy and like home. He made it home to her and she hoped that she made him feel the same way.

When she had the breakfasts ready, she put them on a tray and went into the bedroom where Mac was still sleeping. "Wake up," she said. She set the tray on the dresser and went over to the bed, knowing that it would take her a few minutes to get him to wake up. She hoped he would get over this soon, but she did not know if he would or not. It definitely took time like the doctor said. "Wake up, Mac," she said and kissed him. "Come on. I have a wonderful breakfast fixed for you."

Mac moved a little and took a deep breath. "What?" he asked.

Christine smiled. "I said, I have a wonderful breakfast fixed for you. Wake up."

"I'm awake."

"You always say that. Come on, now."

Mac was relaxed and did not want to wake up and his brain did not feel any urgency to wake up. "Come on," Christine said. "Don't you remember that case you wanted to finish?"

Mac's eyes opened slightly then. "Huh?"

"Oh, that got your attention. The case?"

Mac looked at her. "The case," he said. "I remember, the case with the thousand year old sword."

"Yes, that case. You have to take your medicine and eat some breakfast so you can go and find that murderer."

Mac sat up and rubbed his face. "I think I was relaxed," he said.

Christine smiled. "I think you were just worn out," she replied.

Mac looked at her with a grin. "You might be right." He took the medicine and drank some water. He shivered at the taste. "Yuck, that stuff tastes bad."

"This will taste much better." Christine set the tray of food on the bed and kissed him. She sat on the bed and they ate together. "Are you going to the office?"

"I think I should," Mac said. He frowned. "I hope that there won't be trouble about all this."

"How could there be? She kidnapped you."

"But I still went in there and stole those jewels."

Christine frowned. "You shouldn't have."

Mac looked at her with surprise. "And just let her kill you?" he asked.

"No, I suppose not."

"No, and you would have done the same thing."

"Mac, they can't charge you with anything, can they?"

"I don't think so. Since I was acting in defense of you and had no intention of letting her get away with those diamonds and they were returned, I don't think the prosecutor will do anything but I could be suspended for a while."

"Why?"

"Because I'm supposed to be a trained officer and even the head of that crime lab and I shouldn't let threats make me do something illegal."

"Oh, Mac, that is absurd. Any of them would have done the same thing if they actually love somebody."

Mac took another bite of his breakfast. "This is a whole lot better than the medicine, by the way," he said.

Christine smiled. "Good," she said. "I think I will go to the restaurant today."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I know Janice takes care of everything when I'm not there but I want to go."

Mac touched her face. "I meant it when is said we were going away," he said. "We're going over to that cabin in the mountains."

"In Wyoming?"

"Yes."

"I've never been there, but from what I've seen and heard, it's beautiful."

"It is. Fresh air, mountains, streams and plenty of fish."

"Oh, we're going fishing again."

"Of course. I wouldn't want to go to the mountains without fishing. We might even hunt some jewels."

"Jewels? I think I've had enough of those."

"Yeah, maybe, but they do have this place up there that you can look for jewels."

"Anything's possible, I guess."

Mac finished eating and went to get a shower. Christine went back into the kitchen. While she cleaned the dishes, she thought about going over there to Wyoming. They would be more alone than they were at the cabin there in New York. She had wanted to go up there before all this kidnapping situation happened, but she was not sure now. She thought Mac probably needed some time alone like that so he could recover from all this. She knew he was still having problems with his memory and sleep problems.

When Mac was done with his shower, he got dressed in his gray suit and black shirt. He hoped nothing would interfere with him investigating the crime that they had been working on. He went into the kitchen and hugged Christine from behind. "Oooh, you smell good," she said.

"So do you," Mac replied and kissed her on the neck.

Christine wriggled in his arms. "Stop that," she said. "I have to get going now."

"Me too. I'll drop you off at the restaurant."

They went down to the Avalanche when they were both finished getting ready. Mac drove to the restaurant. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Christine replied. "Are you sure you're ready to go back to the lab?"

"Okay, I get your point. I think we both need to work."

"Probably, but I want to see you at lunch."

"I'll do my best."

They kissed and then Christine went into the restaurant. Mac watched her a moment but then she waved to him from inside. He blew out a deep breath and then headed for the lab. He had to admit to himself that he was nervous about her being there but he had to remember that Stella was dead and so was Ella as far as he knew. They had not found her body yet. He still had to wonder if Quinn had anything to do with that but from all indications, she was not in on it. He frowned as he thought of all those things that they had stolen from him. He wanted that stuff back but did not know how to find it. It could be anywhere.

Jo was shocked to see Mac walk into the lab. "What on earth are you doing here?" she asked. "You should be at home resting."

"I don't want to be at home resting right now," Mac said. "I want to know who killed that victim downstairs. Have you been to the college yet?"

"No, but the fingerprints on the fake sword and the display case…well, I'll let you look at it."

Mac looked at the report. There had been fingerprints from seven different people on the display case, but only two sets on the sword. Mac looked at Jo. "The victim's prints were on the fake sword?" he asked.

Jo nodded. "Yes," she said. "What do you make of that?"

"Where were they?"

"On the pummel like he had held the sword."

"And who is this Patrick Westin?" Mac asked.

"He's also a student at Chelsea University. Archaeology student."

"Archaeology?"

"Yes, and that makes a very interesting case, doesn't it?"

"What does our victim study out there?"

"The same thing."

"I think we need to go and visit the college."  
"Me too."

Mac looked at the folder. "What about what Sheldon found at the victim's apartment?" he asked.

"There wasn't much there," Jo said. "The computer had a lot of college assignments typed in it though and one particular assignment was this."

Mac looked at the printout that Jo gave him. "They were making a replica of the sword of Charlemagne?"

Jo smiled. "I love it when you get that look on your face," she said.

Mac shook his head. "This is a look of confusion," he said. "Why would they make this sword…to steal the real one? But why would Patrick Westin kill Dustin Covin?"

"Maybe Covin wasn't in on the theft," Jo said. "Maybe Westin stole the sword and Covin threatened to turn him in so he just went and killed him with the real one."

"That would definitely be a charge of Grand Theft. We have to get out there to that college."

Mac put the folder in his office and they headed for the elevator. "You think Patrick Westin has flown the coup?" Jo asked.

"I hope not," Mac replied. "Maybe he won't think we would suspect him. Maybe he thinks we would suspect Brandon McFadden."

"Too bad."

Mac drove over to Chelsea University and they went into the student affairs building. "May I help you?" the woman in the office asked.

Mac showed her his badge. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor, this is Detective Danville. We're looking for Patrick Westin."

The woman stared at them a moment but then she typed in her computer. "He would be in the Natural Science building," she said. She gave them a map and pointed out the building.

"Thanks."

Mac and Jo went back to the Avalanche and went over to the Natural Science building which was a very large building. "Oh, I hope somebody in there knows where he is or we're going to be here a long time," Jo said. She looked at Mac. "Wouldn't it have been fun if we had gone to college together?"

Mac smiled. "I was already in the Marines when you were in college," he said.

"I'm sure you were."

They went inside the building and were in a large open space with a hallway directly in front of them and a stairway over to their right. There was a student lounge to the left and a computer lab to the right beyond the stairway. There was a desk right in front of them but there was no one there. "Well, I guess we go down this hall and see who we can find," Jo said.

"Looks like the only way," Mac replied.

They went down the hallway and found that there were offices down there. They came to a door that was open and the professor was in there. Mac knocked on the door and the man looked up from his desk. He had gray hair and a beard. "May I help you?" he asked.

Mac showed him his badge. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor. We're looking for Patrick Westin."

"Patrick Westin? Why would you be looking for him?"

"Because his friend, Dustin Covin, was murdered."

The man stood up in shock. "What?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but we would have thought you would already know."

"I didn't know."

"Well, we need to talk to Patrick Westin."

"What happened to Dustin? He was a bright student, making his way through college."

"We're trying to figure that out, Professor…Goldberg. Do you know of a project that Covin and Westin were working on involving the sword of Charlemagne?" Mac asked.

"Yes they were making a replica of that sword. We had studied materials and how things were made in the ninth and tenth centuries and that sword was one of the objects we studied."

"And you knew it had been sold into a private collection?" Jo asked.

"Of course. It is a disgrace that the sword isn't on display for everyone to see."

"Can you take us to Patrick Westin?"

"Sure."

Mac and Jo followed Professor Goldberg down the hall and up the stairway. They soon came to a large laboratory but instead of having beakers and all the normal things one would expect in a lab, there were dinosaur bones and other sorts of fossils and bones. They soon came to a young man who had on a lab coat. He had blond hair and wore glasses. He looked up as the professor, Mac and Jo approached him. "Patrick, these two detectives want to talk to you," Professor Goldberg said.

"What about?" Patrick asked.

"Could you come out into the hall?" Mac asked.

"Sure."

Patrick followed them out into the hall and they stopped to talk. Mac looked at him. "Do you know what happened to your friend, Dustin Covin?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Patrick asked.

"He was murdered."

Patrick stared at them. "What? Dustin is dead?" he asked.

Mac thought the guy looked honestly shocked. "I'm sorry to have to tell you, but we need to know where you were the night before last at around ten."

Patrick frowned and thought a moment. "Uhm, I was in my apartment," he said. "I had a major test the next morning and I was trying to get some sleep."

"Anyone can corroborate that?"

"My girlfriend was there part of the time. Kristen Duncan."

Mac wrote that down. "Were you and Dustin working on a project about the sword of Charlemagne?" he asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, Dustin was stabbed with the real sword and a fake had been left in the display where the real one had been. Your prints along with Dustin's prints were found on that fake sword and your prints were also on the display case. You know how they got there?"

Patrick stared at Mac a moment. "I went on the tour at Mister McFadden's house to see the sword in person," he said. "I guess I might have touched the display case, but I never touched the sword. You mean the sword was stolen?"

"Yes," Mac said.

"What about Dustin Covin?" Jo asked. "Did he go with you?"

"No. He had to work the night of that party and couldn't get off." Patrick frowned. "I can't believe he's dead."

"Didn't you notice that he wasn't here today?" Mac asked.

"Sure, but I thought he must have gone to see his mother. She's sick, you know. Sometimes, he disappears to go and see her because she's in the hospital."

Mac shook his head. "Has anything strange happened lately?" he asked. "Did he say anything about the sword?"

Patrick considered that. "Come to think of it, he was acting a little funny two days ago. He seemed to be nervous but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I don't know." He looked at Mac. "You mean he was stabbed with the sword?"

"Yes he was, but whoever did it took the sword with them."

"You think he knew who did it?"

"Seems like it. We don't think it was a robbery."

"What do you mean?"

"He was stabbed at his job."

Patrick frowned. "I wish I knew something to help you," he said.

Mac and Jo looked at each other. "We're sorry for you loss," Mac said. "If you do think of anything, call me." He gave the man one of his cards.

Mac and Jo turned to leave. "What do you think?" Jo asked.

"I don't know," Mac replied. "But that professor was awful passionate about that sword, wasn't he?"

"He thinks it should be on public display. It can't be now."

"But maybe he stole it and Dustin Covin found out about it."

"Well, there's one thing for sure, someone stole it and killed that young man with it," Jo said.

"And where is that sword now?" Mac asked.

"It could be here, Mac."

Mac nodded. "I think it probably is but we have to have a warrant to search for it. Whoever stole it isn't going to move it until they think we're off the trail."

"You think we can get a warrant?"

"I'm sure we can. The fake sword came from this college so it would be more likely that someone here stole that real one, killed Dustin Covin and still has that sword."

"What if the sword is at their place of abode?"

"We'll get that too. It's obviously not at the apartment where the victim lived unless it is in Westin's room. Sheldon only searched Covin's room and the parts he lived in and owned."

"Right."

"We have a lot to do. I don't think someone can keep a sword like that hidden for long. They will get too nervous and then try to move it."

"Let's hope we see them when they do."

"It's too much money to just throw it away, so now that it's a murder weapon, they may try to sell it on the black market. There are a lot of ways for them to move something like that. It could disappear and never be seen again."

Jo shook her head. "When you put it like that, it just sounds hopeless," she said.

"It's true."

"I know but do you have to say it?"

Mac smiled. "We have to face facts. Let's get back to that lab and see if there's anything else that we missed or whether…" Mac scowled. "Whether they found anything else."

Jo looked at him. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you forgetting something again?"

Mac frowned. "I keep forgetting her name," he said. "It makes me feel terrible."

"Who? Lindsay?"

Mac nodded. "Yes. How can I forget her name?"

"Oh, Mac, don't worry about it so much. You're going to recover from this."

"I hope. How can you overcome something like this twice?"

"Because you're strong and you have Christine to help you…and us too."

"Jo, if this gets out all over the precinct…"

"It won't. Don't worry about that."

Mac could not help but worry. He had trouble remembering colors and everything again. It seemed to be worse this time. Before, he had been able to remember the names of some colors but now, he felt as though he were walking through a strange world where nothing made sense. He could not feel alone, but he felt lost and he wanted to get his mind on this case. It was hard to keep his mind focused at times and right now, he needed that. He would find this killer and then he and Christine would go away together for a while…


	14. Chapter 14

Mac and Jo went back to the lab. As they looked over the evidence again, they realized that there was nothing else to go on. Mac had requested the warrant. He believed that the sword was at that college somewhere. He also believed that Patrick did not have anything to do with the situation…but he could be wrong. He had been wrong before.

Chief Burns walked in along with Chief Renee Williams. Chief Williams was from Internal Affairs. Mac wondered why she was there but he thought it might have something to do with him stealing those diamonds. Chief Burns motioned for Mac to come with him. Mac frowned and took off his lab coat. He followed the chief down to his office.

Chief Williams went over to Jo. "I need to talk to you, Detective Danville," she said. "Let's talk in the conference room."

"What's this about?" Jo asked.

"I'll tell you when we get in there. And I will need to talk to the rest of the team as well."

The others watched as Jo left the lab. "What is going on?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Lindsay replied. "But it sure doesn't look good."

"Nothing good ever comes from a visit from IA."

Chief Burns closed the door as he and Mac got into Mac's office. "Have a seat at your desk," Detective," Chief Burns said.

Mac hesitated a moment but then he sat down. "What is going on?" he asked.

"Detective Taylor, you have been involved in several situations lately. Wouldn't you agree?"

Mac frowned. "Yes, I would have to agree. What does that have to do with all this? We're in the middle of a case."

"Mac, it's been brought to my attention that you have some memory problems and problems with simple terms."

Mac stared at him a moment. "Where did you hear that?" he asked.

"I don't know where it came from. I want to know if it's true. You know that you can't endanger the credibility of this lab."

"Chief, I am not doing anything but my job. If I thought I was endangering the lab, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't do anything on a case. You know me better than that."

"Oh, I know you alright. I know that you have pride and I know that you like to keep things to yourself, but you can't keep this to yourself. Mac, are you having problems?"

Mac leaned on his desk and rubbed his face. "I am having a few problems," he admitted. "I'm working through it though."

"You just came through a harrowing experience and here you are today…like nothing happened."

"I just want to forget it, and so does Christine. We just want to enjoy ourselves and get used to living together. Is that too much to ask?"

"What kind of problems are you having?" Tell me, because if I don't know what's going on, I can't help you."

Mac sighed. "Well, I'm having trouble with colors and sometimes I forget words that I use every day," he said. "Chief, I had this problem before after I was shot. I got through it then."

Chief Burns scowled. "You had this problem then?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was embarrassed and afraid something like this would happen. I didn't even tell Christine. Chief, I'm not going to endanger the credibility of the lab. You know how seriously I take my job."

"Yes, Mac, and I think you put it above all else…except maybe Christine."

"Chief, my injuries had nothing to do with that. Stella was holding Christine in an electric chair, and she was listening to everything. I let my team know what was going on, but I didn't have a choice."

"I understand that, Mac. Your mental state is what's in question."

"My 'mental' state?"

"Yes. Chief Williams in there is going to question everyone on your team."

"You surely don't believe I'm mentally ill? Or mentally incapable of doing my job?"

"No. It is in question whether you are capable of running this lab. And just so you will know: it's not me who is asking. Someone got in touch with IA and told them about your secret. The first I heard of it was when she came to my office."

"Who would call them?"

"I guess that's a question you will have to ponder. I don't know."

"So what's going to happen?"

"They're going to investigate to determine if you should be directing this lab."

"Chief, that is not fair."

"It may not be but it's how it is. You should have told me. Now, everything you have worked on could be called into question. Do you know the implications of that?"

"Chief, I'm not stupid. Of course I know, but I can work through this. My team is with me."

"But they don't even know it, do they?"

Mac frowned. "Jo does."

"Mac, you should have taken some time off. Nobody expects you to just jump up perfect like you were before after you've been struck by lightning."

"I just wanted to finish this case and then Christine and I were going away for a while so I can deal with this problem," Mac said. "Just let me finish the case, please."

Chief Burns looked at him. "You make sure you have someone with you all the time, especially if you're working in the lab," he said. "I trust you, Mac, but this is not in my hands. You understand that, don't you?"

"I understand that you and the commissioner know me and you know that I would never do anything to jeopardize this department."

"Yes, we do, but you let some defense lawyer get ahold of this, and your career and maybe even mine, is down the drain, along with any case you have worked on."

Mac nodded. He had to admit that was true. He had known it and that was the reason he had not wanted anyone to find out about it. Who would have told something like this? He knew his team would not betray him like this, and his doctor could not divulge information without his consent. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know what a position I've put you in."

"I don't know if I can help you, but I'll do what I can," Chief Burns said. "You need to get a statement from your doctor and bring it to me so I can know exactly what's going on. And don't talk to Chief Williams…yet."

"Okay."

"Get that statement. If that doctor does not feel that this would interfere with your job, IA has nothing to say."

Mac nodded. He watched the chief walk down to the conference room. He knew he was in trouble. The doctor had told him to rest and do his brain exercises. He had been doing very little of both, but he had had so much trouble with sleeping all the time that he did not have much time for it. What would he tell Christine? What would she think of him? He remembered what he had thought the last time, but he had been wrong. She wanted him to confide in her and let her help him. He had to stop hiding things from people who cared about him. He was not hiding it from Christine this time but he hated to have to tell her this…that he was on the bubble.

Soon, Jo came to Mac's office and she looked mad enough to climb the wall. "I guess you know what is going on!" she said.

"Yes, I do," Mac said.

"What are you going to do? They can't do this to you."

"Yes, they can. They're the boss."

"So, what about the case?"

"The chief told me to make sure that I have someone with me all the time. You will be with me when I go to search that college."

"Right. I can't believe they are trying to take you off the job. No one can run this lab the way you can."

"Yeah, but when this gets all over the lab and everything, I'll lose the respect that I have from everyone."

"You can't give up."

"The wolves are circling." Mac's phone rang and he walked away from Jo to answer it.

She folded her arms as she knew there would be plenty who would want Mac's job. She would just quit this job if they did Mac this way. She would not work for a department who would throw someone like him away.

Mac turned around to her. "We got the warrant," he said. "Get everyone together. We're going over that place with a fine-toothed comb and we're going to find that sword."

"I'm on it, Boss."

Mac went into his office and closed the door. He dialed Christine's number and waited for her to answer. "Hello," Christine answered.

"Hi," Mac said. "How is everything going?"

"Fine. I'm enjoying being back at work."

Mac frowned. He wished he could say the same thing. "Well, I'm about to go and tear a college Archaeology lab up. We're on the trail of that murderer."

"You hurry up and get him so we can have lunch."

"I'll try."

Christine thought Mac sounded down. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you."

"I love you too, Mac. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's too hard to explain over the phone."

"You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No. I'm just…I'll tell you later."

"Okay."

Mac ended the call. Christine wondered what was going on now. She knew Mac was too quiet for it to be nothing.

Soon, everyone was ready and Mac led them all to the elevator like an army of scientists on the warpath. They would find that sword and they would find the person who murdered Dustin Covin. They all got into the elevator and went down to the parking garage. Mac, Jo, Sheldon, Adam and Danny got into the Avalanche. When they arrived at the college, Mac went in to talk to the president of the college and let him know that they were there and showed him the warrant. Everyone at the college knew that Dustin Covin had been murdered now, although he had been rather a recluse, always studying.

Mac and the others went over to the Natural Science building. He left two officers downstairs to make sure none of the professors left the building. Mac was sure someone in this building had something to do with that murder, and he intended to find them. He certainly did not want them to escape. They got a few stares as they entered the lab with all the dinosaur bones and everything else anyone could think of being in an Archaeology lab. One of the professors who were in the lab at the time came over to Mac.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor." Mac showed him his badge and the warrant. "I've already been to see the school president about this. We're here to look for a certain item. If you would gather all the students to one side of the room, it would help a lot. I would also like to ask you if you have seen anything unusual in this lab."

The professor scowled at that. "No, nothing but some of the strange ideas that students come up with to do for projects."

"Have you found anything here that didn't belong?"

"Why don't you be specific?"

"A sword?"

"No, only Patrick and Dustin were making a replica of the sword of Charlemagne."

Mac paused a moment. "Is that sword here?" he asked.

"Of course."

Mac followed the professor over to a locker that had Patrick's and Dustin's names on it. The professor opened the locker door with a key. Mac peered inside the locker and found what he was looking for. He looked back at his team. Jo came over there to look. "I guess our search is going to be very short," Mac said.

Jo could not believe it. She looked at the professor. "And your name is?" she asked.

"Professor Gordon. Patrick and Dustin…well, were in my class."

"Were you here when we were here earlier?"

"No. This is the first time I have seen you."

"Then why was Patrick in here before?" Mac asked.

"Well, some students have a different instructor for the lab than they have for the class."

"Oh. Well, we're going to have to take this."

Danny noticed someone trying to move over to the door way in the group of students. "Hey," he said.

Suddenly, the young man took off running out the door. Danny and Jamie went out the door after him. Mac and Jo looked that way a moment, but they were busy collecting the sword. Sheldon and Adam stayed where they were to watch the others to make sure no one else tried to run for it. Mac put the sword in an evidence bag to be examined when they got back to the lab. They examined the locker and found traces of blood in the locker and there was also a pair of gloves in the locker.

Jamie and Danny ran down the stairway after the man who was running from them. They could see he had blond hair and he was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. "Stop him!" Danny yelled as the man was getting to the bottom of the stairs.

The officer who was watching the front door took out his weapon. "Stop right there!" he yelled.

The man who was fleeing was shocked to see the weapon. Instead of stopping, he turned suddenly and ran down the hallway of offices. The officer joined the pursuit with Danny and Jamie. There was another officer on the other end of the building watching that exit too. He saw the man coming that way and drew his own weapon. "Stop!" he yelled.

The man looked both ways but he realized he could not go any further. He stopped and put his hands on his head. "You just relax," Jamie said as she took out a pair of handcuffs. "Where did you think you were going?"

"Doesn't matter now," Danny added. "You just made yourself look real guilty."

"You have the right to remain silent…"

Mac and Jo went over to Patrick Westin. "Why didn't you tell us that you had a sword over there?" Mac asked.

Jo folded her arms as she saw the guilty look on Westin's face. "Because he knew it wasn't there," she said.

"You're coming with us," Mac said. "You have some questions to answer."

They took Patrick Westin into custody as Jamie and Danny brought the other person back into the room. "So, who is this?" Mac asked. "Your accomplice?"

"I don't think he's going to talk," Jo said.

"I'm sure he will when he finds out the consequences of first degree murder are."

They went back to the precinct and the two suspects were booked. Mac and the others went back up to the lab. "I want you to go over that sword thoroughly," he said to Lindsay. "It wasn't so difficult to find after all."

"They were actually keeping it in a locker?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes. I think they must have thought we wouldn't suspect them or they thought they would have time to move it."

"How could they get it back in there after they killed him without anyone seeing?"

"Good question."

Mac started the DNA analysis for the blood they had found in the locker and ran the fingerprints from the locker as well. He knew any number of people could have touched the locker, but he saw that the professor had unlocked it with a key, so that would mean that just anyone could not get into it. He found the prints of Dustin Covin and Patrick Westin as well as two other sets. He found the professor's prints on the locker, but there was also another set in locations that one would have to have access to the locker in order for their prints to be there and that was the professor they had talked to earlier that day, Professor Goldberg. He supposed it was not unusual for a professor's prints to be in a locker but they were not his students.

Jamie had the two suspects waiting for Mac and Jo when they got downstairs. Danny would be in the room with Mac while he was questioning the suspect: Benjamin Roche. He was the one who had fled while they were inspecting the locker. "Well," Mac said as he sat down at the table and laid his folder on it. "What do you have to do with this?" he asked. "Your prints were found inside the locker where the murder weapon was found." He laid a picture of the sword inside the locker on the table. "Your prints were also found on the sword's handle."

Roche just stared at Mac. "How did you get involved in this?" Jo asked. "Was there money involved?"

"No," Roche replied. "They were always bragging about how their sword was so well made and so much like the real one that they could fool someone with it."

"And?" Mac asked.

"So, I decided to test it. Patrick and I went to the party and while we were in the room with the sword, we switched it. We were going to put it back but when Dustin found out, he wanted to turn us in! That would have been grand larceny. It would have ruined our careers."

Mac stared at him a moment. "So, you thought murder would be better?" he asked.

Roche leaned back in the chair. "So, Patrick Westin was in on this with you?" Jo asked.

"Yes," Roche replied. "We were going to take the sword back and tell Mister McFadden what we did, but Dustin wanted to tell the police. Mister McFadden would have laughed."

"Then why didn't you go and tell him?" Mac asked.

Roche looked confused. "I don't know. I panicked."

"So, instead of telling Mister McFadden the truth and maybe not even facing charges, you decided to kill Dustin Covin and face life in prison."

"Who actually killed Covin?" Jo asked. "Did you actually drive the sword into his body?"

Roche frowned. "I don't think I should say anything else," he said.

"Oh, you were doing so good. Why stop now?"

"Because I want a lawyer."

Danny and Jamie were in the room with Patrick Westin. "It was Benny's idea," he said. "I don't even know why I went along with it. We thought it would add to our grade. We didn't intend to keep the sword."

Danny leaned on the table. "You know, I believe you, but you went and killed Dustin Covin," He said. "When you did that, your experiment turned into murder."

"I didn't kill him. He was my best friend. I don't even know who killed him. I wasn't there."

"But you didn't tell Detective Taylor where that sword was this morning when he was at the college. You must have known something."

"When he came in there, it was the first I knew of Dusty being dead. I knew if he found that sword in there, he would think I killed him. I didn't."

"And you don't know who did?"

"No."

Danny thought the guy was telling the truth. "Well, you helped steal the sword, right?" he asked.

Patrick nodded. "We just wanted to see how good our replica was," he said. "We were gonna give it back. I know Mister McFadden."

Danny looked at Jamie. "Well, unless he wants to drop the charges, you'll be charged with grand larceny now, and possibly even accessory to murder," he said.

"I didn't kill him and I was not there."

Danny closed his folder and he and Jamie left the room. Mac was outside when they came out. "Well?" he asked.

"He didn't kill him," Danny said. "I don't think he knows who did either. It all started as an experiment. Someone is involved in this that we don't know yet, I think."

"I agree. We need to talk to this Professor Goldberg again." Mac looked at Jamie. "Go and pick him up."

"I'm on it," Jamie replied.

Mac, Jo and Danny headed back up to the lab. "We're behind you on this other mess, Mac," Danny said. "I have an appointment to go and talk to Chief Williams later today."

"Just tell the truth, Danny," Mac said.

"I will, but the trust is that I don't want to work for anyone else."

"You have a growing family to think about."

"I'll think about it somewhere else if they fire you."

Mac did not like the sounds of that. "What if it's Jo?" he asked.

Jo looked at him. "No one can run this lab like you do," she informed him. "I probably won't be here either."

"Now, come on. You're not serving me, you're serving the people of this city."

"What about you?" Danny asked. "What about all the years that you have put in here? They're going to just throw you away?"

The elevator opened and they stepped out into the lab area. "Just tell the truth," Mac said again and went to his office.

Danny and Jo stopped a moment. "We have to do something about this," Danny said.

"We will do what he says," Jo replied. "We will tell the truth."

Mac went to his office and sat down at his desk to try and write on his report. He still had difficulties with that sort of thing. He leaned on his hand and realized that it was past lunch time. He was hungry and it made his concentration even worse when he did not eat but just as he was thinking that, he saw Christine come from the elevator. He just watched her walk toward his office. He thought she looked more beautiful now than she ever had.

Christine walked into the office. "Afternoon," she said. "In case you didn't know."

"I was beginning to know it," Mac said.

"I brought you a late lunch." She set the bag on the desk and opened it. "I brought you some spaghetti with garlic, buttered French bread."

"Oh," Mac said as he closed his eyes and thought of how good that would taste. "You are really spoiling me."

"I also brought you a salad with your favorite dressing and a cherry tart for dessert…and a tall, cold lemonade to wash it down."

Mac smiled. "Thank you," he said.

Christine walked around the desk and kissed him. "Now, tell me what's going on," she said.

Mac's smile faded. "They know about my memory problems," he replied.

"Who?"

"Everybody. IA is investigating whether I am fit to head this lab anymore."

Christine was surprised by that. "Are you kidding?"

"No."

"Oh, Mac." She looked at him. "It doesn't matter. We will go away from here if they fire you."

"They won't fire me. They'll force me into retirement."

"Then we'll sell the restaurant and we'll go away and open another one somewhere else."

Mac nodded. "Well, we'll do something…together."

"That is for sure."

Mac stood up and hugged her and kissed her. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, and don't you forget it. No matter what they say, you're as good as you ever were."

"I hope you're right."

"I am. Don't lose faith in yourself."

"You just don't lose faith in me and I'll be okay."

"I never will."


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, Mac stayed home from the lab. He had insisted that Christine go on to the restaurant. He needed time alone and time to think. They had gotten Professor Norman Goldberg on that murder charge. He had confessed and Benjamin had corroborated his story. He had been with Goldberg, but Goldberg had done the actual killing because Patrick Westin was his son and he did not want his son thrown out of college and his life ruined. Now, they were all down the drain.

Mac lay there in bed and stared at the ceiling. Christine had made him breakfast that morning before she left. This morning had been much like the morning before but they had had quite an eventful night. He had woken up several times during the night. He had been sleeping so deeply that Christine could hardly wake him up but last night had been nothing like that. Now, he was lying awake too. He decided that he would go and take a long, hot bath.

Mac went into the bathroom and turned the water on and poured some bubble bath in. He wanted to just lie there and relax. He did not care if he did smell like lavender. He had too much on his mind and lavender was supposed to help one relax. He got undressed and sat down in the tub and gasped as the water was very hot, but it felt good as he went ahead and lay down in it. He lay there thinking…

He thought about Claire…he remembered running on the beach with her and her laughter as he chased her. He remembered catching her too. _You've made me the happiest woman in the world, _she had said.

Mac opened his eyes as he remembered the last time they were together…it had been the night before she died. It had been a very special night because…he closed his eyes as he remembered that he had finally given in and decided to try and have a baby. Why was he thinking about this? He always thought of all kinds of things when he got still and quiet. That was why he wanted to stay busy. Now, he could not even go to the lab. He had told the chief that he was taking a day off but he had suggested that he needed to take more than one day, so now here he was with nothing to do and he did not know if he would even have a job.

Mac rolled his eyes at himself. So much for relaxing. He was not relaxing, he was lying there fretting over things that he could not help or change. He thought of Christine. She was like a breath of fresh air to him. He sighed as he thought of holding her in his arms and how much he loved her. He knew she loved him too…he could see it in her eyes and feel it when she touched him. He thought he would make her a special dinner this evening and go and pick her up at the restaurant. Maybe he would even get her some roses. He thought he got too busy sometimes and just forgot to romance her enough…then again, they had been through so much trouble since they got married, he had not had much time.

Mac closed his eyes and then he heard the doorbell. "Oh no," he said. "Go away."

The doorbell rang again, so Mac got out of the tub and put on his robe. He went to the door and opened it. Jo was at the door. "Mac, I have to talk to you," she said.

"Jo, I was kinda busy," Mac replied. "Can't you call me?"

"No. I want to talk in person."

"Alright, well, come in but I have to go and get dressed."

Jo went in and folded her arms. Mac looked at her. "Okay, is it that bad?" he asked.

"Yes," Jo said.

"Then tell me. Did something happen at the lab?"

"You know what happened. It's about this case they are pursuing about you."

"Jo, don't worry about that. They'll forget about it soon."

"I don't think so, Mac. I found out who reported this."

"Who?"

"Quinn Shelby."

Mac stared at her a moment. "What?"

"She told them that she would be 'glad' to fill in for you while you're out," Jo said. "And she made it clear that she would love to have your job if you are unable to perform your duties anymore."

Mac shook his head as he absorbed that. "So that's it," he said.

"Aren't you going to do something? I will not work for that woman! I will go back home to Mama before I will work under her."

"Jo…"

"I mean it, Mac! She is just trying to discredit you so she can have your job! Doesn't that upset you?"

"Yes, but…"

"There are no buts! I declare, she is going to meet some opposition!"

"Jo…"

"And furthermore, I think she did help steal that stuff from your apartment! I can't believe you let that go so easily! She is just rubbing it in your face! And I would like to know how she learned about this!"

"I don't know but…"

"I think it was that day that we went to her office! You forgot the word 'lab' and she noticed it! She must have snooped around and found out what was wrong with you."

"Well, I don't see how she…"

"OH, this just makes me so mad!"

Mac did not think he was going to get to say anything. He had never heard Jo so mad before or raving like this. She finally stopped talking and looked at him. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

Mac just looked at her. "I was waiting for a chance," he said.

Jo folded her arms. "Don't sass me."

Mac chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. It will all blow over."

"Mac, do you know how serious this is?"

"I don't know, but I am going to enjoy this day off. I'm planning something special for Christine this evening and I don't want to think about this. If it comes down to it, I will fight for my job. You know that."

Jo looked at him a moment. "You better because if you don't, the people of New York are going to have a totally different team in that lab."

"Jo, you have to think of the people first."

"Mac, if that woman stole that stuff from you, she has no business being in that lab."

"We don't have any evidence that she did."

"I'm going to find some. Her fingerprints were on that box."

Mac watched as Jo went to the door. "I'll see you later," she said.

Jo went out the door and Mac blew out a breath. Was there no rest for him? He supposed he 'would' have to go away somewhere if he wanted to rest. As long as he was here, he would be worrying and thinking about what was going on. He intended to go and eat lunch with Christine today and spend some time with her. He hardly got to spend a lot of time with her.

Mac went back and finished his bath and then got dressed in his running pants and a t-shirt. He had not been keeping up with his running lately, but today, he was going to run at least a little. He left his apartment key at the front desk with the security guard so he could pick it up when he came back. He hated running with keys jingling in his pocket.

"How are you doing today, Mac?" Donald, the security guard asked.

"I feel like going for a run," Mac replied and gave him his key.

Donald put the key in one of the drawers behind him and wrote Mac out a voucher for it. "See ya later."

Mac nodded and went out the door. He thought he might just run part of the way and walk part of the way to Christine's restaurant. He was tired of being inside. It was hot outside but the sun felt good. He began walking and enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. He thought of his problems and looked around him at the colors he could see. He had finally been able to identify the color Yellow. He did not know why he could suddenly remember that one but he could not identify the others yet. He had strained his brain so many times trying to remember what color his suit was or something on his desk. Once he even forgot the word Desk. He still could not believe he had forgotten Lindsay's name.

As Mac thought, he began to run and soon, he was running and thinking about his breathing rather than thinking about his troubles. He thought he was getting out of shape since all this stuff happened to him. He had been quite lazy…or at least, that was what he thought. He knew he had to rest but he did not want to get completely immobile. He was huffing and puffing by the time he stopped at a "Do Not Walk" sign. He watched the traffic go by and then a car pulled up close to him.

"Well, Mac Taylor," someone said.

Mac frowned as he looked and saw Quinn in the car. "Oh, you're still holding a grudge, huh?" she asked.

"I don't have anything to say to you," Mac said.

"Hmmm, someone must have told you that I'm vying for your job."

"You won't get my job."

"That remains to be seen. So, how's your brain working today?"

Mac glared at her. "You don't know anything about my situation and you're not going to know."

"We'll see. It didn't take a genius to figure out that you're having problems and when I looked up lightning strikes and what they can do to people, it sure wasn't hard to figure out what was happening to you, even with Jo trying to cover for you."

"Like I said you don't know anything."

"I heard what happened with Stella. Wow, you sure have an effect on women."

Mac rolled his eyes and was glad to see that the sign was saying "Walk" now. He headed across the street. Quinn watched him with her lustful eyes. She still had not gotten over her infatuation with him, and having all his treasures in her possession just made her feel like he was closer. Sometimes, she even took out that wedding band and imagined putting it on his finger herself. She did not want to just leave him alone. She thought she would go and visit his wife. After all, she had a restaurant. Maybe she would go there and eat.

Mac ran on down the street. He hated the fact that Quinn was in the city trying to cause trouble. He knew his team meant every word they said. They would turn in their badges before they would work for her. He did not want them to give up their careers, but he also knew that they could get jobs just about anywhere that one was available.

Christine was at the front counter when a red-headed woman walked into the restaurant. She thought that woman looked familiar and then she remembered that she had been at the wedding. Christine frowned as she wondered what that woman would be doing in there. She supposed if she became rude or anything, she could throw her out, after all, it was her restaurant.

Quinn walked over to the counter and sat down on a stool. "Hi," she said. "So, what do you have that's good?"

"I like to think that it's all good," Christine replied.

"Aren't you Mac Taylor's new wife?"

Christine stared at her a moment. "Yes, I am," she said.

"Oh, how did you ever get him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what did you have to do to get his attention? He's not exactly the easiest man to flirt with and talk to."

"He is to me. I think he's one of the most transparent men I have ever seen."

Quinn absorbed that a moment. "Transparent?" she asked. "Are we talking about the same man?"

"Mac Taylor? I think so."

"He is one of the thickest men I have ever seen."

"Well, when I met him, he was single." Christine handed her a menu. "Let me know when you're ready to order."

Quinn glared at her as she walked away. She knew Mac had to have some sort of weakness. She would find it. She was good at finding weaknesses…whether it was money, personal problems or anything else. She had found plenty of weaknesses where she worked and she had exploited all the ones that she wanted to.

Mac had gotten a cab the rest of the way to Christine's restaurant. It was quite a long way from their apartment and he had gotten too tire. He certainly did not want to overdo it. He got out of the cab and paid the fare. He went into the restaurant, not noticing Quinn's car outside. He could not help but notice her sitting at the bar though. He frowned and then noticed that Christine was staring right at him across the room. She came over to him and kissed him. "I didn't expect to see you," she said.

"Why?" Mac asked with a smile. "Do you think I can go all day without seeing you?"

Christine smiled. "Come on, I have a table over here for you."

Mac followed her over to a table, but they had to pass by Quinn on the way. "Hello again, Mac," Quinn said. "I thought you weren't going to notice me."

Mac rolled his eyes and did not say anything. He sat down at the table that Christine had ready for him. "What will you have?" she asked.

"I'll think a few minutes," Mac said. He pulled her down to whisper in her ear. "I want some dessert."

Christine tried not to giggle at that. "That's not on the menu," she whispered back.

"Don't I get special treatment?"

Christine's smile brightened. "Well, I suppose we could have a very intimate dinner tonight."

"Don't you worry about dinner. I'll be here to pick you up tonight…and then, anything goes."

Christine tried not to laugh. "Stop that," she said. "You get your mind on that menu and tell me what you want."

"How can I get my mind on a menu with you standing this close to me?"

"Oh, Mac, stop. I will be back."

Mac smiled as he watched her walk to the kitchen and she looked over her shoulder at him with a smile. He looked back at the menu but his smile faded as he noticed that Quinn was watching him. She slid off her stool and walked over to Mac's table. "Must be nice to know the owner," she said.

"Quinn, I don't want to talk to you," Mac replied.

"Well, how rude."

"You're rude so why should I have to be so nice?"

"You're still one of the hottest guys I ever saw."

Mac looked at his menu. "Get away from my table," he said. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

"You will soon."

Mac frowned as she walked back to her stool. What did she mean by that? He did not want anything to do with that woman. He thought she would do her best to ruin everything in his life if she could. He would not allow her to ruin his marriage. He loved Christine and there was nothing in the world that Quinn could do about that.

Christine soon came back from the kitchen. "Have you decided yet?" she asked.

"I think so," Mac said. "I think I'll have that vegetable plate."

"Sounds good." Christine wrote that down. "Are you sure you don't want the house special?"

Mac looked at her with a mischievous smile. "And what is that?" he asked. "Do you offer it to all your customers?"

"Only to the one I'm sleeping with," Christine whispered.

Mac's smile grew wider. "And just what is this special?"

Christine leaned over to his ear. "You come back to my office after you eat and I'll show you."

"I can go now and just skip lunch."

"Oh no. I have to wait until my break."

"Okay."

Christine went back to the kitchen. Mac looked out the window. He thought no matter what happened with that job, he would still be happy and have everything to look forward to. Quinn was still staring at him but he chose to ignore her. She would not ruin his fun with Christine. He and Christine had not gotten to finish their honeymoon and they had not had much happiness since then. They were going to make up for that.

Christine soon came back with Mac's plate. "Do I need to tip the waitress?" Mac whispered.

"You better," Christine replied.

"I'll be sure to leave a big tip."

Christine giggled to herself. "Stop that, you dirty minded…"

"Waitress," someone said.

Mac was chuckling as Christine walked away. He started eating and thinking. He was definitely going to get a dozen roses for tonight and maybe he would even have candles. He wanted them to have a special evening. He smiled as he thought of what else he intended to do. He wanted to make her feel happy and cheerful. He noticed that Quinn was watching him so he started looking at his food. He would not tolerate her harassing him. He would just tell Don about it. They would do something about it and find out what she had to do with that box that was stolen.


	16. Chapter 16

That evening, Mac picked Christine up at the restaurant. He kissed her as she got into the Avalanche. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Busy," Christine replied as she leaned back on the seat. She was glad Mac had come to get her.

Mac smiled as he thought of what he had planned. "Well, you can relax now, my sweetheart, because I have prepared a delicious meal and you are going to love it."

"Oooh, if you keep this up, you're going to spoil me."

"Good."

Mac drove into the parking garage and they went up to their apartment. Mac opened the door and let Christine in first. He closed the door and dropped his keys on the table beside the door so that maybe he would not forget where they were. Christine hung her purse and sweater on the coat rack. "I need a hot bath before dinner," she said.

"No, no, not yet," Mac said. "You just stay right here. I'll be right back. No peeping."

Christine sat down in a chair to wait. She could not help but wonder what Mac was up to. She could smell whatever he had cooked and it smelled wonderful. She stretched as she sat there, thinking that chair was very comfortable. "You better hurry up in there," she called. "I'm liable to fall asleep."

Soon, Mac came back into the room. At first, Christine's mouth dropped open, but then she burst out laughing. She did not think she had laughed so hard in years.

"What's so funny?" Mac asked trying to keep a straight face. He was wearing Christine's apron…and nothing else, and he had a dozen red roses in his arm.

"Nothing," Christine said as she wiped tears away from her eyes.

"This way, Madame." Mac smiled as he heard Christine's laughter behind him.

Christine followed him into the kitchen and pinched his behind. "Hey, now, no harassing the waiter," Mac said.

"I think you're just asking for it," Christine said, trying to control her laughter. "Are you going to eat that way?"

"No." Mac put the roses in a vase. He looked at Christine. "We're going to eat nude."

"We are?"

"Yes." Mac gestured to the table and Christine noticed that each dining chair had a towel draped over it.

"Oh, CSI's think of everything," she said.

"Of course."

"I guess I better get undressed for dinner then."

"I'll be waiting for you."

Christine went into the bedroom. She could not help but laugh. She had not had so much fun in years. She got undressed and got a quick shower. She went back into the kitchen with her robe on.

"Now, that's cheating," Mac said.

"Don't worry." Christine dropped the robe.

Mac cleared his throat and pulled her chair out from under the table. Christine sat down and watched Mac sit down on the other side of the table. "You better not drop anything on yourself," she said.

Mac picked up the red cloth napkin and snapped it out of the fold. "I'm covered," he said and put the napkin in his lap.

"Are you going to wipe your mouth on that?"

Mac gave her an amused look. "I have that covered too."

"You're just prepared for everything, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

Christine tasted the chicken that Mac had made. "Mmmm, this is good," she said.

"Thanks."

"So, what have you been doing all day?"

"Oh, this and that." Mac swallowed his medicine.

"We had a lot of people for dinner tonight. More than usual."

"When did Quinn leave?"

"Not long after you did. Why is she harassing you?"

"I don't know. I think she just wants to try to embarrass me."

"She must have really had a crush on you."

"I can't help it. She knew I was married. She should have looked for someone of her own. She knew I loved Claire."

"She must be deeply resentful. Maybe it's because you got the job she wanted too."

"I think that's probably it. She still wants that job."

"People don't seem to be happy with their life, even though they made it the way it is. I mean, she wanted you which she couldn't have, and she wanted that job, which you got. Why didn't she just give that up and make something else?"

"I don't know, but right now, I don't want to talk about it. I want to talk about how beautiful you look in this candle light."

"Oh? Tell me."

Mac laid his fork down and leaned on the table. "You look like a glowing, golden flame that can consume me."

"Mac Taylor, have you been drinking wine?" Christine asked.

"No."

"I don't think we're going to finish eating if you keep talking like that."

"Why?"

"Because I want to start consuming you."

Mac smiled. "I mean it. You make all those problems seem small because I know I don't have to face it alone."

Christine stared at him a moment. "I don't even feel like I have problems anymore. When things get hectic at work, I think about you and…I know you love me."

"Me too."

Christine looked down at her plate. "I want to eat this," she said.

"That's fine," Mac replied. He picked up his fork. "I just wanted to say that."

"You're quite the romantic."

"I try to be. I don't want you to feel like I don't have time for you."

"I don't."

"I figure I'm going to be free for a while. You and I are going away somewhere."

"To the cabin?"

"I'm not sure we can. There are a lot of fires out there. I don't think they're where the cabin is but I don't know. I'm going to find out from the guy who takes care of it."

"It seems like those fires are going to burn up the entire West."

Mac frowned. "Yeah, it's sad," he said.

"I hope they can get the fires stopped soon."

"Hopefully they can. I hope it doesn't get the Sequoias."

They were silent a moment. "Have you ever eaten dinner in the nude before?" Christine asked as she took another bite of her food.

"Only in bed. What about you?"

"No. This would be my first time."

"It's kinda interesting."

"And cold."

Mac smiled. "Don't worry, I'll heat you up later."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You wanted to eat nude for a reason."

"Yeah, there won't be so much to take off."

Christine laughed. "You make me so happy."

"It's the least I can do for the woman who has made me the happiest man alive."

When they were done eating, they cleaned off the table and put the leftovers away. Christine slapped Mac on the behind as he passed by in front of her. "Alright now," he said. "Are we going to clean this kitchen?"

"This kitchen can wait till morning," Christine informed him. "I can't."

Mac looked at her. You won't be waiting that long."

"I'm not waiting any longer. If you don't come on, that counter is going to need bleach."

Mac looked at her surprised. "Are you suggesting that we are going to have sex in this kitchen?" he asked.

Christine walked over to him and put her arms around him. "What do you think?" she asked.

Mac dropped the hand towel he had in his hand and picked her up. "I'm all yours."

Christine laughed as he took her to the bedroom and put her on the bed. "You were right," she said. "Nothing to take off."

Mac crawled under the covers with her. "I've been waiting for you all day," he said.

"Too bad you couldn't come to my office."

"Maybe next time. I'll just make up for it now."

"Oh, you sure will." Christine put her arms around his neck. "I love you, and thanks for the dinner."

"I love you too, and you're welcome."

Mac woke up during the night with his arm hanging off the bed. He did not even remember going to sleep. He turned over on his back and looked at the clock. It was a little after Midnight. He rubbed his face and felt like he was wide awake. He did not know why he was awake. He had been unable to stay awake before. He tossed and turned until he woke Christine up.

"What time is it?" Christine asked.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Mac said.

"Why are you awake?"

"I don't know. I think I'm gonna get up a while."

"Oh, you don't have to." Christine kissed him. "Let's just make love again."

"I don't know if I'm in the mood. I feel so nervous."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just get this way sometimes, you know." Mac held up his hand and Christine could clearly see it shaking."

"Well, what can we do?"

Mac shook his head. "Nothing, it just has to pass." He sat up on the side of the bed. "You just go back to sleep. I'm gonna get up a while."

Christine watched him get dressed. "Are you sure you don't want me to get up with you?" she asked.

"Honey, just go back to sleep. You need your rest."

"If you need me, wake me."

"I 'always' need you." Mac kissed her. "Get some sleep. I'll be fine."

Christine lay back down and watched him leave the room. She was worried about him. He had woken up all during the night before. She could not understand what was happening to him but his symptoms were changing.

Mac went into the living room and sat down on the couch. He hardly ever got to watch any TV, so he turned it on. He would keep the volume down so it would not disturb Christine. He leaned back on the couch feeling wide awake. He could not believe he was not sleepy at all. He still felt nervous and felt like he could not keep his legs still.

The next morning, Christine woke up to find that Mac was still not in the bed. She got up and put her robe on and went into the living room. She found Mac lying on the couch under a blanket. She thought he was asleep but when she got around the couch, he looked at her. "Morning," she said. "Did you get any sleep?"

Mac shook his head. "No. Not a wink."

"Oh, Mac, why? You didn't come back to bed."

"I didn't want to keep you awake. I feel completely exhausted but I can't go to sleep."

"Maybe you should take a hot shower. I'll fix breakfast."

"You don't have to fix me anything. You fix food at that restaurant all day. I have time to fix my own."

"I 'want' to fix you something. You know how I feel about skipping meals."

"I won't skip."

"I know you won't because I am going to fix it for you. You have to take the medication anyway."

Mac sat up. "Christine."

"What?"

Mac stared at her a moment. "I'm sorry for bringing all this trouble to your life," he said.

Christine was surprised by that statement. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Well, I guess you wanted to get married and have happiness. I know this can't be what you expected."

Christine sat down on the couch beside him. "Mac Taylor, I married you because I love you, and I am happy when I'm with you."

"What if I never get better?"

"Then we'll go through it together. Wouldn't you still love me if I was sick?"

Mac looked at her. "Of course I would."

"Then you've got a lot of nerve to think that I wouldn't do the same for you. Do you think you're the only one who knows how to love?"

Mac frowned but he could see her point. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't you ever say anything like that to me again. I love you and I don't care if you're sick. I want to help you get better and I wouldn't give up any moment we have together, even if you are sick. I assume that's how you feel."

"Yes, it is."

"Then, stop putting me down, and just remember that I love you as much as you love me."

"I know that."

Christine kissed him. "Don't you forget it."

Mac watched her get up and go into the kitchen. He knew what she meant and he should never have said anything like that. They were one unit now, not two anymore. What one went through, affected the other, and if one was unhappy, the other would be. He did not know why he did not know that without her having to tell him. He got up and went into the bathroom and got a shower. He looked in the mirror and could see how tired his eyes looked, and even though he felt like he could fall over, he was not sleepy.

Mac shaved and got dressed and just as he was about to go into the kitchen, Christine came into the bedroom. "Breakfast is ready," she said. "I made some pancakes."

"Ooh, I haven't had those in a while," Mac said.

"Don't forget your medicine."

"I won't." Mac touched Christine's face. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Mac went into the kitchen. He could see that she had fixed his plate and had already eaten herself because she had to go to the restaurant. He got his plate and a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. He was not sure he should drink coffee but he would this morning. He took his medicine with a glass of water and then started eating. Christine came in there before he was done. "Are you driving me to work?" she asked and kissed him on the neck.

"I will if you want me to," Mac replied.

"I do. I like it when you come and get me too."

"I won't be late."

"You better not be."

Mac drove Christine to the restaurant and he had to go to the doctor himself. He dreaded hearing the report but he supposed he would have to eventually. He could not hide from reality. The doctor would be giving him more of those brain exercises to do. He had still not mastered colors yet. The only one he could distinguish was Yellow. He knew the difference between the colors but he could not remember the names of them. They looked familiar and he felt as though he knew, but he could not find the information. He went into the doctor's office and sat in the waiting room. He would have to let Christine know that evening but he would also have to give a report to the chief. He frowned at that. His career could be over…


	17. Chapter 17

Mac walked out of the doctor's office feeling even worse. The doctor told him that he had not improved and that his nerves were healing very slowly and some would not heal at all. He had always had trouble with his left hand since he burned it during the war. It had always been a little weaker than the right and had been a little tingly and numb in places like his little finger and ring finger. Those nerves had never healed. He had simply had to get used to it. Now, his other hand and his feet were having some of the same problems, not to mention that he had pain sometimes. It felt like cold pain when it came. The doctor had told him that it could get worse and the medicine would most likely get to where it would not work.

Mac went to the Avalanche and got in slowly. He felt like his life was coming apart at the seams and he could not stop the rip. He thought of Christine. Would she think he was old? He had to remember that conversation they had that morning though. He had to go and tell her about this but he wondered what was going on at the office. He thought he would just go ahead and resign and save himself the humiliation of being forced to resign. He had to tell Christine first though.

Christine saw when Mac drove up outside the restaurant. She thought he looked awful sad as he walked toward the door. He came in and sat down at the counter. Christine went over to him. "Hi," she said. "How did the appointment go?"

Mac looked at her and then looked down at the counter. "I might as well just be honest," he said. "It wasn't good."

Christine sat down beside him. "What did he say?"

"Christine there are a lot of things we need to discuss. I'm afraid our lives are about to change drastically."

"Mac, tell me what he said."

"My condition has not improved at all and the nerve pain I have sometimes isn't going away, or the numbness. Christine, I want to just resign. I don't want to go through the humiliation of being forced."

"Mac, let's talk about this some more before you make a hasty decision."

"Don't you understand?"

"Give it some more time. You haven't had much time to do the brain exercises. You're rushing yourself."

"Christine, this time is not like last time. I'm out of time. They're doing an investigation now. I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do! They have to give you a chance."

Mac looked at her. "I don't know."

"I do. Take an extended vacation like you planned. We will go away somewhere so you can recover in private, or maybe even to a hospital that specializes in this sort of thing."

"There's nothing private about this now. I'm under the microscope, Christine."

Christine did not know what to say. She thought Mac sounded depressed. "We're not giving up," she said. "I won't let you give up."

"I'm not giving up. There comes a time when you have to face facts."

"And what are the facts, Mac?"

"The fact is: It's time for me to let someone else take my place."

"Quinn?" Christine asked.

Mac looked at her and frowned. "Yes, Mac, that's who's going to try and get that job and you know what will happen then."

"There's no guarantee that she will get it," Mac said.

"There's no guarantee that she won't, because no one has proof that she's guilty of anything but despising you and I guess that's not a crime."

Mac leaned on his elbow. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked. "I can't make my brain get well."

"You can try and do those exercises. You just can't give up."

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then you can talk about resigning. Don't look at the big picture. We have to do it a little at a time."

Mac reached for her hand and held it in his. "I can't do it without you," he said.

Christine kissed his forehead. "You won't have to. Now, you go to that lab and see what's going on."

Mac nodded. "I guess I'd better."

"Come back for lunch. The special today is spaghetti."

"I'll definitely be here."

"Good." Christine leaned over to his ear. "Maybe we'll even go to the office today."

Mac smiled. "Okay, I'm going now."

Christine laughed as he got up to leave. She hoped he would feel better now. However, she had to get back to work.

Mac went out to the Avalanche and headed to the precinct. He did want to know what was going on. When he walked in there, Don Flack was sitting at his desk in his wheelchair. "Hey, Mac," he said.

"Hi, Don. How are you?" Mac asked.

"He's as stubborn as he ever was," Jamie said as she walked over there. "He refuses to stay away from here."

"Hey, I can sit here and do paperwork as good as I can sit at Grandma's and do nothing."

"But here, you can't rest."

"I don't want to rest." Don looked at Mac. "How are you?"

"Not too good I'm afraid," Mac said. "I didn't get any good news from the doctor."

"They're asking questions, Mac. I told them I hadn't noticed anything but I do remember the time that you forgot a word, but that was after you were shot."

Mac nodded. "Well, I'm having the same problems now," he said. "I might as well tell you. I don't know if I'm going to get better or worse."

Don just stared at him a moment. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means that I don't know what my future is here."

"Mac, they can't do this to you. Not after all the years you've given to this place. You're trustworthy and a good leader."

"Don, all that doesn't matter. What matters is the integrity and confidence in the lab. If that comes into question, you know what can happen. Do you want criminals going free because of that?"

"Mac, you haven't done anything that would cause a criminal to go free. You were injured. You have to have time to recover."

"I don't know if I have time."

"They have to give you time. They can't just throw you away like that. Look at me…I'm still here. I can't help it because I got injured. I have to have time to recover. What if they were trying to throw me away? What would you do?"

Mac nodded. "I know, Don, but this is different. I have a big responsibility to that lab."

"You're not ready to be put out to pasture yet, Mac."

"I'm not going out to pasture, but I may have to go on an extended vacation so that I can have time to get well."

"Just don't give up."

"I'll talk to you later."

Mac went up to the lab and thought it sounded quiet but as he was walking by the lab door, Danny came out. "Hey, Mac," he said.

"Hi, Danny. What's going on?" Mac asked.

"We're working on a case."

"What's it about?"

"Well, it's about a young woman, maybe murdered by her husband but we haven't been able to locate him yet. I can't tell you anymore."

Mac looked at him. "Why?"

"I don't know but that's what I was told."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "And you're going along with that?"

"Mac, I…"

Mac held up his hand. "I'm sorry. I know you have to do what you're told."

"I'm sorry about this."

"So what are they saying?"

Danny moved a little closer to Mac. "Nothing," he said. "They're not telling us anything except that you can't be involved in any cases."

"Where's Jo?"

"She went with Sheldon to search the victim's apartment."

Lindsay walked over to them from the lab. "Hi, Mac," she said.

"Hi," Mac replied. "Listen, I don't want any of you making any rash decisions. Whether I come back here or not, your obligation is to this city, not me. You are all the best team I have ever seen and this city needs you."

"It needs you too," Lindsay informed him.

"Not if I bring questions about the reliability of the lab."

Mac turned to go to his office. Lindsay looked at Danny. "I guess this would be a good time to make our decision to move," Lindsay said. "You have that job offer."

Danny nodded. "You're probably right," he agreed.

"Why don't you call them today? I'm sure Mac can give you the best recommendation."

"Yeah."

Mac went into his office and sat down at his desk. He felt like he was on the outside looking in. He could not even help with the case. He looked at the stack of reports on his desk. Was he even allowed to sign those? He supposed he was. He took the first file off the pile, which was the one from the last case he worked on. He read over the report and then signed it. Did they think he did not know what he was doing? He wished there was a quick way to fix his problems but there was not. It took time.

Mac leaned back in his chair and thought about how he felt. Sometimes he felt like his nerves were buzzing and then again, he felt extremely nervous. He had started having that cold pain in his feet at times and his right hip had been hurting after he went for that long walk and run. The doctor had told him before that he could develop chronic pain. He had met people who had chronic pain. Nothing made it go away.

Mac thought of Christine. What would she think? He loved her so much and he wanted to make her happy. He had enjoyed the time they had together. He thought of how her hair smelled and how her skin felt, her laugh and her smile. He thought of that look in her eyes when she was worried about him. He missed her, even though he had been to the restaurant today. He tried to get his mind back on his work, but he found his mind drifting to that night they had sex in the water. He had enjoyed that. He thought about how Christine reacted. He wanted to see her but it was not lunch time yet. He closed the file he was reading. They did not want him here anyway.

Mac got up and headed for the elevator as his mind kept wandering to Christine. He shook his head. What was wrong with him? He wondered if his problems had anything to do with this. He pressed the "down" button on the elevator.

The elevator doors opened soon, and as Mac started to walk in, Jo and Sheldon were coming out. "Mac, where are you going?" Jo asked.

Mac paused a moment. "I'm going to…the…" he scowled.

Sheldon looked at him. "I'm going on to the lab," he said. He did not want to know anything else about Mac's condition for Chief Williams to ask him about. He knew Mac had to have problems after what he went through but he would not pry.

"You're going to the restaurant?" Jo asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes," he said.

"Take care of yourself."

"I'm trying to."

"We're going to fight this."

"I'll do my best to get better."

"Worrying won't help."

"I have to get going."

Mac got into the elevator. Jo wished she could make all this go away. IA had questioned her for an hour trying to find everything they could. She went on to the lab. "What did he say?" she asked.

"He told us not to make any rash decisions," Danny said. "I think he's giving up."

Jo sighed. "I can't imagine how he feels."

"All we can do is just wait and see what happens."

Christine was standing at the stove in the kitchen of the restaurant. She was cooking hamburgers on the grill. Mac always liked hamburgers. She hoped he got to come to the restaurant for lunch. She missed him when they were apart and she found herself thinking about him all the time when she was still and not busy. She supposed this was the infatuation stage. She had thought she was infatuated when they were dating but that was nothing compared to how she felt now.

"Christine," Sara, the new waitress, said.

Christine looked at her a little startled. "Yes?"

"Are you going to turn those over?"

Christine looked at the burgers. "Yes," she said. She turned the burgers over. They were okay. She supposed she better keep her mind on what she was doing or let Sandra help her. Sandra was her assistant manager and helped in the kitchen too. She could not hire a lot of people but she had three people and one of them, Naomi, only worked part time on the weekends. She enjoyed doing her restaurant work but she had to have help now.

Christine heard the bell on the front door and thought maybe things were getting busy again. She leaned on the wall beside the grill and just let her mind wander. She wished Mac would show up soon.

Mac walked around the counter just as Sara was coming from the kitchen. "Oh, hi," she said. "Christine's at the grill."

"Thanks," Mac said. He went into the kitchen and smiled as he saw Christine standing at the grill wiping sweat off her forehead with a paper towel. He walked quietly over to her and put his arms around her waist.

Christine gasped. "Mac Taylor!" she exclaimed. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm hugging my wife," Mac said.

Christine had to smile at the feeling of his arms around her. "So, is one of those for me?" Mac asked, referring to the burgers.

"If I don't burn them," Christine replied.

"Why would you burn them?"

"Because you're such a distraction."

"Me? I just got here."

"Oh, but you have left your mark."

"I have?"

Christine could hear the amusement in Mac's voice. "Yes, you have," she said as she wriggled out of his arms. She checked the burgers to make sure they were done. "I guess you can help me fix these."

"I better wash my hands."

Mac washed his hands and they started fixing the burgers. "So, what did you find out at the lab?" Christine asked.

Mac frowned. He put on of the pieces of meat on a hamburger bun. "Not much," he said. "Except I can't be involved in any cases and they can't discuss them with me."

Christine was surprised by that. "Why? You're still the head of that crime lab, aren't you?"

"I'm beginning to wonder."

"Well, then we'll move away and start over."

"I don't know how. I'm used to being in charge of that lab. I don't know how to be a follower anymore."

"Mac, you can manage my restaurant for me."

"This one?"

"No. I'm going to open another one and sell this one."

"I don't know what to do right now." Mac looked at her. "I came back because I couldn't keep my mind off of you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was sitting there reading reports and I was thinking about when we…"

Sara walked in then. "Are the burgers ready?" she asked.

"Almost," Christine replied. "Just three more to go."

They got the burgers done and Sara took them. "I'm gonna take a break," Christine said to Sandra. "Mac and I have some things to discuss."

"Okay," Naomi replied.

Christine grabbed Mac's hand and they went to her office. She closed the door and locked it. "So, you say you were thinking about me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mac said.

"Well, I can't seem to keep my mind on what I'm doing." Christine put her arms around his neck. "I think you need to kindle this fire for me."

"Oh, and are you going to kindle mine too?"

"I sure am."

They share a long kiss. "That couch over there is very comfortable," Christine whispered.

"Well, the floor would be good enough for me," Mac whispered.

"I want to try the couch."

Mac turned the light off and left the desk lamp on. "Let's go for it," he said.

Christine grabbed him in a wild kiss and Mac pushed her toward the couch. "I've never felt like this in my life," Christine said.

Mac held her tight and did not want to think about what he had had in his life before. She was his future and nothing else mattered anymore…


	18. Chapter 18

After Mac left the restaurant, he went back to the lab. He went up to talk to the chief. He had to sit in the waiting room for a while but then he got in to see Chief Burns.

"Detective Taylor, have a seat," Chief Burns said.

Mac sat down. "Chief, I need to know where I stand with my job here," he said. "I don't want you to give me any long speeches or run-around, just tell me."

Chief Burns leaned on his desk and looked at Mac. "I have talked to the commissioner and he agrees that you should have a chance to get well, but until the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, you can't be involved in any cases."

Mac frowned. "And who is going to fill in for me?"

"We've had some offers."

"Is one of them Quinn Shelby?"

"Yes."

"Chief, I don't think she should be at this crime lab."

"Why is that?"

"Because she might have been involved in that plot against me."

"Are you kidding? She works…"

"I know where she works. You ought to know that she's the one who told that I have this problem. She's always wanted my job."

"There are quite a few people who want your job. That's not up to me."

"Well, I want a chance and I think I deserve it."

"You do, and you'll have it."

"I have to have some time off to get myself the help I need."

"I know that. Mac, you're not going to be thrown away but you know how important that lab is."

"Yes I do but the only thing that is affected by my handicaps is my reports and notes. I still know how to run an investigation."

"Mac, all a defense attorney needs is…"

"I know. I'll do whatever you say."

"Take some time off."

Mac nodded. "Christine and I are going somewhere so I can recover."

"That's a good idea. Your job will be here until that time is over but someone will have to fill in."

"Why not Jo? She's capable of leading that team. They're a good team, Chief. I don't want them to quit. And I don't want someone running that lab that will do more to compromise it than just having a memory problem."

Chief Burns looked at him. "Why would they quit?" he asked.

"I don't know." Mac knew he should not have said that.

"So, they're loyal to you instead of this department?"

"No, but they will not work for Quinn."

"I see." Chief Burns leaned back in his chair. "So you've all discussed this?"

"No. But they said they're not working for her. I told them they would be letting the people of this city down."

"That's right."

Mac thought he would just do his own investigation about Quinn. He would find out whether she had helped Ella in that plot against him. He had thought it was all with Stella but he was not sure anymore…and he was also sure that Quinn was not insane. They had not even found Ella's body either.

Mac stood up. "I'll see you later, Chief," he said.

Chief Burns just leaned back. He had seen that look on Mac's face before. He was curious about something. "Take care, Mac," he said. "And don't get into too much trouble…or cause too much."

Mac nodded. "I won't."

Mac left that office and went to the lab. Jo was in her office this time. She could tell by that intense look on his face that Mac was up to something. "Mac, what's going on?" she asked.

"Was Ella's body ever found?" he asked.

Jo frowned. "No. Why?"

Mac paused a moment. "Because I wonder if Stella really killed her. I don't think this is over, Jo."

"What?"

"I want to investigate Quinn."

"Tell me what you want me to do."

"We need to do this in secret because I'm not supposed to be doing this."

"No one will know anything."

"I want Adam to dig up everything he can about Quinn in the…the…" Mac rubbed his forehead and pointed.

"The computer?" Jo asked.

Mac nodded. "Just find everything you can, any disciplinary action, suspicions."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Just get that for me."

"Mac, I want to know what you're doing."

"I'm going to talk to Chief Lewis over there in New Jersey. Maybe she doesn't have him around her finger."

"Don't you think I should go with you?" Jo asked. "What if you…forget a word?"

Mac frowned. "I can't have a babysitter the rest of my life."

"I'm not a babysitter. I'm your friend."

"You don't need to go with me. I'm acting on my own. This is not an official case."

"I could still…"

"Just find what you can."

Jo watched Mac leave. She hated that he was going alone but she could definitely help here. She went to Adam and got him busy on that information. She would also talk to Jamie about Ella. They had not found any blood in that car that Stella had been driving. It was very disturbing to think of that girl being out there.

Mac went out to his Avalanche and headed over to New Jersey. He did not know what Chief Lewis would think of him asking questions but he would ask them anyway. He had to find out what was going on with Quinn. He would not just let her try to get that job without finding out all the skeletons in her closet, and he was sure she had some.

Mac arrived at the precinct there in New Jersey. Detective Duncan was there and he glared at mac as he walked in. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," Duncan said. "How's the memory?"

Mac frowned. "I want to talk to Chief Lewis," he said.

"He's probably busy. Some of us have to work."

"Why don't you get that chip off your shoulder and tell me where his office is?"

Duncan stood up. "I don't think it would do any good to tell you," he sneered. "You probably wouldn't remember."

Mac glared at him. "Just what is your problem?" he asked quietly.

"You've always thought you were so high and mighty."

"And just when have we met?"

"I'm not surprised that you don't remember."

"Just tell me where Chief Lewis' office is."

Duncan stared at Mac a moment. "Maybe I should show you," he said.

"Maybe you shouldn't," Mac replied.

"We're gonna meet somewhere else eventually."

"Is that a threat?"

"Take it however you want."

"Tell me where his office is."

"You go up to the tenth floor and you can't miss it."

"Thanks."

Duncan gave him a visitor's badge. "Don't get lost," he said.

Mac put the badge on and went to the elevator. He did not know what Detective Duncan had against him but he had no desire to be in any more situations. His feet were aching now and he hoped they did not get any worse. He went up to the tenth floor but when he walked out, he realized he was on an empty floor. He glared around him and then got back into the elevator. He pressed the floor for the crime lab.

When Mac stepped out of the elevator, he was greeted by a security guard. He showed the man his badge. "I need to know where Chief Lewis' office is," Mac said. "I was told it was on the tenth floor."

The guard scowled. "That's an empty floor," he said. "Who told you that?"

"Never mind. Where is his office?"

"It's on the twelfth floor."

"Thanks."

"Fourth door on the right."

Mac went up to the 12th floor and walked down to Chief Lewis' office. He went in and told the secretary that he needed to see the chief. He sat down to wait and then his phone rang with a text message. He smiled as he read it: _I love you, _from Christine.

_I love you too, _Mac typed.

Soon, the secretary told Mac that he could go in. He went into the office. "Detective Taylor," Chief Lewis said. He had known Mac a long time. He shook Mac's hand. "What brings you across the River?"

"A problem," Mac said.

"Have a seat."

Mac sat down and sighed. "What's the problem?" Chief Lewis asked.

Mac did not know how to being. "My problem is Quinn Shelby," he said bluntly.

Chief Lewis leaned back in his chair. "What has she done?" he asked.

"Did she tell you that I came to see her?"

"No. Did you?"

"I did, twice. I'm surprised that Detective Duncan didn't divulge that information."

"Detective Duncan? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well, there's obviously something going on between them."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it all started when Quinn showed up at my wedding with several other women, whom I had gone out with at least once."

"You dated Quinn?"

"No. We were partners a long time ago. She and I were both after the job I have now."

"And you think she's bitter about that?"

"I didn't…until now. After I married Christine, I got a package in the mail that had a…piece of women's lingerie in it."

"Oh come on, Mac. You can tell me what it was. You and I have seen enough nudity in our time to be porn addicts."

Mac almost chuckled at that. "It was a black, lacy thong, and it had a note in it that sounded like I had an affair and it had to be about her. It didn't have a name but…I know."

"So, you think she's trying to cause problems with your marriage."

"It seems like it, but I got another package that had my Sergeant's badge in it. That let me know that someone had been in my apartment. I found that someone had…" Mac sighed. "They had taken everything from my memory box. We dusted the box and Quinn's fingerprints were on it."

"And that's when you came to see her?"

"Yes. And that was when she found out that I am having some problems since I was struck by lightning. She called my department and told them this and now my job is in jeopardy."

Chief Lewis frowned as he was writing. "What happened?"

"I'm on the bubble," Mac said. "I'm not allowed to work on any cases and I'm under a lot of stress and it's interfering with my recovery. And somehow, Detective Duncan knows about my memory problems because he let me know loud and clear when I came in. He couldn't know without her telling him but I'm sure it will be in the paper soon."

"I'm sorry, Mac. I don't see what I can do to help."

"Do you have any problems with Quinn?"

Chief Lewis leaned back in his chair. "I can't tell you anything like that," he said.

"Why?"

"You know why. If I tell you something like that, I could be on the bubble." Chief Lewis took a file out of a drawer on his desk and laid it down. "I just can't tell you anything about one of the people who work here."

Mac stared at the file and could clearly see Quinn Shelby's name on it. He looked at Chief Lewis. "I'll be right back," Lewis said.

Chief Lewis left the office. Mac looked at the folder and then got it and looked inside. He frowned as he saw that Quinn was being investigated for suspicion of tampering with evidence. She was also suspected of fraternizing with her subordinates. Mac knew he could use this to keep her out of the New York lab but he would have to find some sort of evidence that would lead to this. He could not bring Chief Lewis' name into it.

Chief Lewis soon came back. Mac had put the file back on the desk. Lewis sat down and put the file back in the drawer. "I hope you find what you're looking for," he said.

"Thanks, Darryl," Mac replied. He stood up. "Take care."

"You too, Mac, and take it easy."

Mac went out the door and headed for the elevator. He did not know how he would deal with this but he had to find something. He would not let her get into his lab. He would have to tell Jo about this and let her do an investigation. She would definitely want to know this.

Mac left the elevator and headed for the front door. Detective Duncan stood up as Mac was passing by. Mac gave him the visitor's badge. "Detective Taylor, do you like bowling?" Duncan asked.

Mac scowled at him. "I'm been known to bowl," he said. "Why?"

"I'd like to challenge you."

Mac stared at him a moment. "Okay. When? But you have to come to New York."

"Sure. I'll let you know. Bring your new wife. I'll bring my wife."

"Why…" Mac absorbed what he just said. "You're married?"

"Yeah."

Mac wondered what this was about. "Just let me know," he said.

"I will."

Mac went on out the door even more confused. Was Quinn manipulating Detective Duncan? Mac knew he had to learn his information from her, but why was he suddenly wanting a bowling match? He supposed he could only wait and see. Right now, he had to get more information about Quinn and let Jo know what he knew now. He wanted to find out if she had anything to do with stealing the stuff out of his apartment. If she did, he wanted it back…and he also wanted to know if Ella was really dead. He thought Stella might have convinced him of that so that they would not be cautious. He frowned at the thought of that. He hoped Ella would not try anything else if she was still alive.


	19. Chapter 19

Mac went back to the New York lab where he found Jo in her office. "Where have you been?" Jo asked.

"Jersey," Mac replied. "Why?"

"Adam couldn't find anything on Quinn but, he did find something else you may find interesting." Jo showed Mac a picture on the computer.

Mac stared at the picture that was taken in a bar. It was a familiar face. "Ella?" he asked and looked at Jo.

"Looks like her, right?"

"Where was this taken?"

"The Key Hole."

Mac scowled. "A little known bar?"

"I'll say. I never heard of it before."

"Why don't we go over there and see if anyone talked to her?"

Jo paused a moment. "Now that we know she's still alive, don't you think you should be cautious?"

"Ella wasn't the one who killed anyone."

"But she helped kidnap you and Christine."

"I know but if we can find her, she might help us get Quinn too if she was involved."

"You really think so?" Jo asked.

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

Jo let the others know where they were going and then she and Mac went down to his Avalanche. Mac was quiet a moment. "Jo," he said.

"What?" Jo asked.

"Why aren't you letting the chief know that you can lead the lab in my absence?"

Jo looked at him. "How long do you intend to be gone?"

"I don't know but I have to have time to recover and I can't do that if I'm worried about the future of the lab." Mac looked at her. "Why do you think I chose you? I knew you could handle the lab if I wasn't there. You have before."

"I know, Mac, but if you don't come back, they're not going to let me stay in that position."

"You could if you would fight for it."

"Oh, Mac, are you giving up?"

Mac shook his head. "No. I just don't know what's going to happen."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I intend to take some time off. Christine and I are going away somewhere so I can recover. We may check into a hospital somewhere or just go somewhere private."

"But before you go, you want to open up a can of worms."

"Of course."

Jo smiled. "Mac Taylor, you couldn't give up this work if you wanted to."

"Maybe not, but you couldn't either."

Mac drove over to the Key Hole and he and Jo got out. "Oh my word," Jo said. "I hope this is not some establishment that time and everything else forgot."

"It doesn't look too bad," Mac said.

"It's awful small."

They went up to the door. "Okay, so are we going to act like cops or are we going to act like civilians?" Jo asked.

"Depends," Mac said and opened the door.

"Depends on what?"

"What we find."

They went inside and were surprised to see a stage up at the front of the bar. There were several tables and a long bar to the right. There were several people in the bar…more than Mac would have thought. He thought maybe they were waiting for the show.

Mac walked over to the bar and sat down, and Jo sat down beside him. "There are a lot of women in here," Jo said. "What kind of show are they waiting for?"

"I don't know but I want to know if Ella is here," Mac said.

The bartender came over to them. "What'll you have?" she asked.

"Information," Jo said and showed the woman her badge. "I'm Detective Danville, and you are?"

"Rita."

"Rita, have you seen this woman?" Jo showed her a picture of Ella.

"Yeah I've seen her. She has been in here a few times. I think she likes the show and she got pretty wasted one night, tried to get back there to take one of the performers home with her."

"Do you know anything about her?" Mac asked.

"Not much. I don't care who anyone is."

"How often does she come in?"

"Well, this is Friday. I would assume she would be in tonight."

Jo looked at Mac. "We should be a little less conspicuous than sitting here at the bar," she said.

"Right," Mac agreed.

They got a non-alcoholic drink and went to a table in the back corner. "I just wonder what everyone is waiting for," Jo said.

"The show," Mac replied.

Just as Mac said that, the lights went off in the bar except the ones on the stage. Everyone started moving closer to the stage and then music started. Mac and Jo looked toward the stage and a man came out on stage dressed in an animal print outfit that looked like something from Tarzan, and he was built like Tarzan too. He started doing a seductive dance amid screams and whistles.

Jo's mouth dropped open as the guy jerked off most of his outfit and left a thong. She looked at Mac who rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess we know why there are so many women in here," he said.

"Well, he 'is' fine." Jo looked toward the stage and then at Mac. "I might have to come back one night."

"Why? You're here now."

"But I'm working."

"Not really." Mac looked at her with an amused look. "Are you telling me you would come down here and stand at that bar and grope and scream and that guy?"

"Grope? Mac Taylor! No, I would not do any groping but I might do some whistling."

Mac shook his head. Jo narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you sit there and tell me that you have not been in bars and watched some woman up on the stage, nearly naked and didn't get to feeling a little hot under the collar," she said.

Mac chuckled at that. "I don't have a comment on that," he said and sipped his drink.

"Admit it."

"Jo."

"Mac!"

Just then, Jo's phone rang. "We're not done talking about this," she said and gook her phone off her side. She thought she might not be able to hear whoever it was. "Danville," she answered.

There was a sudden burst of screams and whistles. Mac looked and the guy on the stage was making his dance even dirtier now. Mac had never heard of this bar until tonight but he thought it must be popular here. He looked toward the door as he saw someone come in. Jo noticed the look on Mac's face, and she looked toward the door. Ella had just walked in. She had cut her hair up to her shoulders but it was her.

Mac waited until Ella got over to the crowd. He stood up and headed that way and Jo followed him. Before they got to her, Ella saw Mac. She darted around the crowd and headed toward the back of the bar. Mac went after her. She went through a doorway that led down a hallway. Mac went through there with Jo right behind him. As they got to the end of that hall, they came to another hall that went to the left and right. To the left was an exit and that door was open.

Mac and Jo ran to the left and out that door. They did not see anyone at first but then they saw Ella getting into a car. "Ella!" Mac yelled. "Stop!"

Ella got into the car. Mac was almost to the car as she drove away. He and Jo ran to the Avalanche and went after Ella. "How are we going to catch her?" Jo asked.

"I don't know if we can but we're going to try," Mac replied.

They could see Ella's car speeding down the street which was pretty crowded with traffic. "Do you think we should pursue her?" Jo asked. "She might kill someone."

Mac knew Jo was right but he hated to let her go. However, he was not supposed to be chasing anyone. He turned off his siren and just slowed down with the flow of traffic. "At least we know she's out there," he said.

"Have you seen her anywhere and didn't realize it?" Jo asked.

"No. Not that I remember. I have not been looking for her. Who found that picture?"

"Jamie had people looking for her and a security guard spotted her."

"I guess they need security there," Mac said with a slight smile.

"Why is that?" Jo asked.

"All those women. They might attack that guy on the stage."

"Oh, Mac!" Jo hit his shoulder.

"Did he ruffle your feathers?"

Jo's mouth dropped open. "I don't need my feathers ruffled, thank you."

"You don't?"

"Not like that."

Mac shook his head. "What would he do if all those women jumped on him?" he asked.

"He probably wouldn't care," Jo said.

"And why do you say that?"

"You know how men are."

Mac looked at her. "And just how are we?"

"Never mind."

"Why? I think you were about to tell me something."

"You forget it, Mac Taylor, or I will tell Christine."

"Tell her what? You're always teasing me."

"I'll try not to."

Mac chuckled. He still wondered where Ella had been hiding out all this time. Was she planning anything? Was she talking to Quinn? Mac could not believe Quinn was plotting anything. Wanting a job was one thing…all this other was criminal. Surely she would not risk her career and her life for something like this.

They went back to the lab. "Jo, did you find anything?" Danny asked.

"We did," Jo said. "But she got away."

"I guess I'll go on home," Mac said. "Let me know if you learn anything else, Jo."

"I will," Jo replied. "Get some rest. You look tired."

"I'll try."

Mac went to the elevator. He realized he had been awake all day after being up all night. He did feel tired but he did not feel sleepy. He drove home and went into the apartment. He just stood there a moment and thought of how lonely this place felt without Christine there. He went into the bedroom and looked in the closet at Christine's clothes. He thought she did not have many clothes. Maybe he would buy her a new dress or something. He went over to the dresser and opened Christine's lingerie drawer. He stopped and looked in the mirror. "What are you doing, Taylor?" he asked. He cleared his throat. "Oh, I'm snooping through my wife's things," he said. "And talking to myself."

Mac picked up a light pink teddy with feathers around the edges. He did not think she had worn that. He smiled as he remembered that he hardly ever gave her a chance to wear anything. Next, he picked up a lace gown. It was red and he did not think it would cover much…or hide much.

Just then, Mac's phone rang. He was startled, and laughed at himself. "It's not like you're committing a crime," he said. He answered the phone, "Taylor."

"Hi, Mac," Christine said. "What are you doing?"

Mac shoved the lingerie back into the drawer and closed it. "Nothing," he said.

"You must be up to something. What are you doing? Making dinner again?"

"Uh, no, I thought maybe we would get a pizza and just eat it in bed and watch a movie."

"Why don't we just go out?"

"Are you sure? I kinda wanted to stay in."

"Okay then, but I get to pick the movie."

"Sure."

"Are you coming to pick me up?"

"I can. Are you almost ready?"

"About another hour."

"Okay, I'll be there."

"Great."

Mac ended the call and sighed. He wanted Christine to wear something out of that drawer tonight. He hoped he would be able to sleep that night. He could not see himself staying awake another night.

When it was time, Mac went to pick Christine up at the restaurant. While he was waiting for her, he ordered the pizza to be delivered to their apartment. He knew they would be back before it arrived. Soon, Christine came out and got in the Avalanche. "Oh, it feels so good to sit down," she said.

Mac kissed her and then they were on their way home. "It sure is nice to just take you home with me and not have to take you home and then go home alone," Mac said.

Christine smiled. "Oh, yes it is."

When they got home, Christine went into the bedroom. "Hey," Mac said as he walked in. "Will you wear something out of that drawer over there?"

Christine looked at him with an amused look. "Have you been going through my drawers?" she asked.

Mac put his hands in his pockets. "Well, yeah."

"Peeping tom."

Mac smiled. "Hey, you're my wife."

"So which do you like?"

"I didn't see them all. I kinda like the red, lacy thing."

Christine smiled and pulled the lingerie out. She held it in front of her. "How's this?" she asked.

"Do you have a blue on in there?"

"I do." Christine pulled a blue, lacy lingerie out that was much like the red one.

"Perfect."

"Why?"

"It makes your eyes look even bluer."

"What are you going to wear?"

"Why don't you pick something?"

"I want you to wear those silky boxers," Christine said.

"Those red ones?" Mac asked.

"Yes. You haven't even worn them yet."

"I haven't had much of a chance."

"You do tonight."

"Okay."

Christine went into the bathroom to get a shower. Mac went into the closet where he had a chest of drawers with his stuff in it. He pulled out the red boxers that Christine had bought for him. Suddenly, he realized that he had remembered those colors. He practically ran into the bathroom.

"Christine!" Mac exclaimed.

Christine was startled and looked around the shower curtain. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Didn't you notice?"

"What?"

"I remembered!" Mac picked up the lacy lingerie that was lying on the counter. "This is blue!" He held up his boxers. "This is red!"

Christine could not believe it did not occur to her before. "Oh, Mac, that is wonderful!"

Mac went over to her and kissed her. "I remembered," he said again.

Christine smiled. "You see? You can't give up."

Mac kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Just then, they heard the doorbell. "That must be the pizza," Mac said.

Mac left the bathroom. Christine smiled and felt like jumping up and down. If he could get better that way, maybe everything else would improve too.

Mac went to the door and got the pizza from the pizza boy. He had already paid for it so he took it to the bedroom. "Mmmm, that smells good," he said as he set the box on the bed. He pulled the covers back on the bed and then got undressed. He went into the bathroom since Christine was done with her shower.

Mac took a shower and went out to the bedroom wearing the silky, red boxers. "So, how do you like them?" he asked.

"I love it," Christine replied.

"I feel like I'm sliding around in them."

Christine laughed. She posed for him. "How do you like this?"

"Very nice," Mac said. "I can still see everything."

"Oh, you." Christine got in the bed. "Come on," she said.

Mac got into the bed and they opened the pizza box. "Oh, that smells so good," Christine said and grabbed a slice of the pizza.

Mac smiled as the cheese stretched. "Do we need scissors?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I will handle it."

"I'm glad you like pizza."

"I like everything."

They ate as much pizza as they wanted and then turned the TV on. "I can't believe I remembered," Mac said as they were cuddling under the covers. "And I didn't realize it."

"I can't believe I didn't realize it," Christine said. "I must be more tired than I think."

Mac kissed her hand. "Go ahead and get some sleep."

"Oh, I thought you wanted me to put this on so you can take it off."

Mac smiled. "I did but I think I'm tired too."

"Have you slept any today?"

"No, not a wink."

"Mac, you should get some sleep then."

"The trouble is, I feel exhausted but I feel wide awake."

"I just bet I can make you go to sleep."

"Oh yeah?" How?"

"Why don't you take this off me, and you'll see?"

Mac touched her shoulder with his fingers. "Is it uncomfortable?" he asked.

"It 'is' a little itchy."

"Well these are a little smooth."

Christine had to laugh at that. "What on earth did I do without you?" she asked.

"I don't know. You must have been bored."

"I was, and lonely."

Mac kissed her. "You won't be again."

At around Midnight, Christine was asleep but Mac was still awake. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. He felt so tired but he could not go to sleep. He had thought he would fall asleep after they made love like he usually did but he did not this time. He got up and put on a pair of shorts and went into the kitchen. He got a bottle of water and went into the living room. He lay down on the couch and turned the TV on although he thought he was bleary eyed. Then he heard someone knock on the door.

Mac scowled as he wondered who was out there this time of night. He went to the door and opened it. He was shocked to see who was there…


	20. Chapter 20

Mac grabbed Ella's arm and jerked her into the apartment. Then he slammed the door. His belt was hanging on the coat rack. He got the handcuffs out of the pouch.

"Wait, Mac," Ella said. "I know you're upset."

"Are you kidding?" Mac asked. "Upset does not even begin to describe how I feel."

"I have something to give you."

Mac put the cuffs on her and then jerked her around to face him. "You have a lot of nerve," he said. He led Ella over to a chair and made her sit down.

"Mac, wait!"

Mac got the phone and called Jo and told her what was going on. "Are you serious?" Jo asked.

"Yes," Mac said. "Get Jamie over here."

"We're on our way."

Mac hung up the phone and glared at Ella. "Mac, can't you just listen?" she asked.

"There's not anything you can say that I want to hear."

"Yes there is."

"Save it for interrogation." Mac realized he was practically naked. He was wearing only a pair of running shorts. He wanted to go and get a shirt but he would not leave her sitting here alone. "Christine!"

Christine heard Mac call to her. She got her robe on and went into the living room. She was surprised at what she saw. "Mac…"

"Christine, will you get me a shirt?" Mac asked.

"Of course."

Christine went back to the bedroom. Mac looked at Ella. "Why did you come here?" he asked.

"I came to surrender," Ella said. "And I came to give you something."

"Like what?"

"In my coat pockets."

Mac walked over to her. "You better not try anything," he warned.

"I won't."

Ella watched as Mac reached into her coat pocket. She could not help but notice how he looked in those shorts.

Christine came back with a t-shirt. "What is she doing here?" she asked.

Mac pulled some stuff out of Ella's pockets. It was all the stuff that had been stolen from him. Christine stared at it and then looked at Mac. "What's going on?" she asked.

"She brought my stuff back," Mac said. He put the shirt on that Christine had brought. He looked at all the stuff and it was all there. He looked at Ella. "Why did you do all this to me?"

"I don't know," Ella replied.

"Was Quinn in on this with you?"

Ella looked at him. "I thought you didn't want to hear anything that I have to say."

"Tell me, Ella."

"I'll save it for interrogation."

Mac was angry clean through. He looked at Christine. "You can go back to bed," he said. "You need your sleep."

"I don't think I can sleep now," Christine said.

"You should try. They'll be here to get her soon."

"Okay, but don't leave without telling me."

"I'm not going anywhere. They will take care of this."

"Good." Christine kissed him and then went back to bed.

Soon, Jamie arrived along with Danny and Jo. Mac told them what happened. Jamie arrested Ella and took her out. Jo looked at Mac. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Mac said.

"Have you had any sleep?"

"No."

"Maybe you can get some now."

"Don't forget to ask her if Quinn was in on this."

"I won't. Don't worry about this. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay." Mac looked at Jo. "By the way, I remembered some colors."

Jo smiled. "That's wonderful."

"Maybe I'm getting better."

"You will. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay."

Jo left and Mac closed the door. He thought he was about to get a headache from lack of sleep. He lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over him as he looked at his returned treasures lying on the coffee table. He turned the TV on hoping that it would help him get sleepy.

The next thing Mac knew, he was waking up a little startled. He looked around him and realized he was on the couch. He wanted to be in the bed and it was only 2AM. He had only slept maybe an hour, perhaps less. He got up and went into the bedroom. Christine was sleeping soundly. He did not want to disturb her but if he had to stay awake all night at least she would be next to him.

Mac got undressed and got into the bed. Christine shifted and put her arm around him. She kissed his back and then relaxed again. Mac lay there and stared at the window. Day seemed so far away.

When daylight finally came, Mac was still watching the window. He felt miserable but he was still wide awake. His eyes felt dry and they were hurting. He knew he needed sleep but he did not know how to get it. He supposed he would have to talk to his doctor about this.

At six, the alarm came on. Christine reached and pressed the snooze button. She turned over toward Mac. "Good morning," she said as she lay back down.

"Morning," Mac replied.

"I don't want to get up."

"I don't want you to."

"But I have to."

Mac pushed her hair out of her face. "I guess you didn't wear that…that…" He frowned. "See? I remember something and then I forget it again."

"You'll get better," Christine said.

"How do you know?" Mac asked irritably. He sat up. "What if I don't?"

"Mac, don't do this."

Mac rubbed his hair. "I didn't sleep but maybe an hour last night," he said.

Christine rubbed his back. "Are you going to talk to your doctor?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Christine leaned on his back and put her arms around him. "You'll get through it," she said. "And I'll be here with you."

"I guess I'll find out today whether that other situation is solved or not."

"I hope it is. She had a lot of nerve showing up here."

"I think she wanted to give up so she could stop running."

The alarm sounded again. "Oh, I have to get up," Christine said.

"Me too," Mac replied. "I have to go to the precinct and see what's going on."

Christine was worried about Mac. She knew he could not keep going with no sleep. His eyes already looked puffy, and he was irritable at times. She hoped the doctor could help him.

Mac drove Christine to the restaurant and then went to the precinct. There were a lot of reporters out front and they recognized Mac when he got out of his truck. He thought they would run him down yelling questions at him. They knew somehow that Ella had been captured and that she had come to his apartment.

"What was your relationship with Ella McBride?" someone asked.

"Wasn't she a suspect in a murder case you worked?" someone else asked.

"Did you have a personal relationship with her?"

Mac was trying to walk on to the precinct but they were very aggressive today. "Look, I can't discuss this with you," he said. "This is an ongoing investigation."

"Detective Taylor, are you retiring from the lab?" someone asked. "Are you having physical problems?"

"Are you concerned that any cases you have worked will come into question?"

Mac frowned. "No, I'm not," he said. "Get out of my way!"

Mac got through them and went on inside. He stood inside the door a moment to get over that onslaught. He went over to Jamie. "What did you find out?" Mac asked.

"Well, one thing I've found out is that I need some sleep," Jamie replied. "But we did get a lot of information from Ella. She seemed to be ready to get the whole thing out in the open."

"I think she did. She's tired of running."

"Well, I have the file." Jamie gave him the file. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get some rest."

"Go ahead. Sleep well."

Mac went on up to the lab. He waved to everyone in the lab as he was yawning. He could not believe he was yawning and he could not even sleep. He went to his office and sat down to read Ella's confession. She had definitely told the whole story, except there was nothing about Quinn.

Jo came to the office door. "Morning," she said.

"Morning," Mac replied. "You didn't get anything out of her about Quinn?"

"No."

"I want to talk to her. Maybe she will tell me."

"She 'is' still infatuated with you."

"That's not important. I'll go see her in jail."

"They could bring her to interrogation."

"No. I'll just go down there."

"Good luck."

Mac headed down to the jail where Ella was being held until her trial. His feet were aching this morning. He was glad he was wearing his sneakers today. He had not felt like dressing up so he was wearing jeans and a sweater. They had already started having cool mornings.

Mac sat at the window waiting for them to bring Ella in. He hoped she would tell him if Quinn was involved in all this. Soon, they brought Ella in and she sat down on the other side of the glass. Mac stared at her a moment and then picked up the phone.

Ella reluctantly picked up the other phone. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're the last person I expected to see."

"Why?" Mac asked. "Don't you think I want to know why you did all this to me?"

"I guess you do. I really don't know what to say. It's like I was a different person full of jealousy and hate."

"Ella, I thought you were going to make a good life for yourself," Mac said.

"With what? You wouldn't even give me the time of day."

"I tried to be your friend. I tried to help you."

"I didn't want a friend. I could have made you happy."

"I didn't come here to talk about that. I want to know if Quinn Shelby was in on all this."

"And you think my feelings for you will make me tell you?"

"Ella, that woman is trying to get my job. If she was involved in this, she should be in prison too. You're sitting here and she's trying to make her life better."

Ella stared at him a moment. "I will always love you," she said.

"Then help me. Is she involved?"

Ella did not say anything for a moment. She just studied Mac's face. "You have the most intense eyes," she said.

"Ella, please."

"Did you ever have any feelings for me?"

"I cared about you. I wanted your life to be worthwhile."

"And look where I am. I guess I will get to see my mother soon."

"You won't be in as long as she will. If you tell me everything I can help you."

"I heard you're still having a lot of problems."

"Ella, I didn't come down here for this."

Ella wiped a tear off her face. "Okay. Don't you need to write this down or something?" she asked.

"It's according to what you tell me, and I want the truth."

"Quinn did help me steal your stuff. She wanted to cause you some grief."

"And she sent me those packages?"

"Yes. She just wanted to embarrass you. She intended to give it back anonymously. She didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping."

"How did you get involved in all this?"

"Wrong place at the wrong time?"

Mac shook his head. "Ella, I hope that you will pay attention to help they try to give you in here," he said. "You're ruining your life, and you may have already."

"Yeah. I guess there's nothing for me. I hope you'll be happy with Christine. She was nice."

Ella hung up the phone. "Ella," Mac said but she got up and the guard took her out.

Mac hung up the phone receiver that he had. He thought it was a disgusting and pitiful loss that a woman like Ella thought she was worthless. He thought a lot of young people were like that. Instead of focusing on their strengths, they focused on their weaknesses. Everyone was not alike. Some people could do things that others could not but that did not mean they were smarter. They were just different. Mac thought it would be a boring world if everyone was alike, and nothing would get done.

Mac walked out to his truck and started to get in but then Quinn walked up beside him. Mac frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Quinn folded her arms. "It's the jail, Mac," she said. "I didn't know you owned it."

"Looks like you might have to spend some time in there."

"Why? Because I pulled a prank on you?"

"Try breaking and entering and stealing."

"There was no breaking, and besides, Ella did that. I told her she had to give those back but I thought I would give you a little grief."

"Why? I didn't do anything to you."

"You rejected me."

"Quinn, you know that there was nothing between us."

"Oh yes there was. You didn't want to admit it. Can't you just admit you liked the kiss and thought about it?"

"No. It was a mistake and I don't know how you can still be going on about something that happened twenty years ago."

"It was very memorable."

Mac rolled his eyes at that remark. "Maybe to you but it was a regret and a shame to me," he said. He opened the door of his truck. "See you later."

"Wait." Quinn moved closer to the door. "Remember, if you try to prosecute me for this, your secret is going to be out. What will your loyal minions think then?"

Mac glared at her and got in the truck. He left and got on his way back to the lab. He had to admit she was right, but he also had to remember that she wanted to head his crime lab. His reputation could not be put above that…could it? After all, Quinn did not do the actual stealing, but she knew about it. He could not believe all those women did all this and it was just a coincidence.

As Mac was driving, he started feeling extremely sleepy. He thought he was going from one extreme to the other. He thought he would not be able to go any further. He was passing by what looked like a cheap motel so he just pulled in. He would have to stop. He leaned on the steering wheel wondering if he could make it inside but he got out of the truck.

When Mac got into the motel room, he could do nothing but collapse on the bed….


	21. Chapter 21

Quinn Shelby was passing by the same motel that Mac was staying in on her way back to New Jersey. She could not help but see Mac's truck out there. She wondered what he was doing there. She turned into the parking lot and parked beside Mac's truck. She smiled as an idea came to her. She got her cell phone out and took a picture from behind of her car and Mac's truck sitting in front of the motel. If he thought the other situation was bad, he had not seen anything yet.

Christine tried to call Mac but she did not get an answer. She wondered where he was but she knew he had been planning to go to the lab. She hoped maybe he was finally sleeping. She would just wait until he called her.

By that afternoon, Mac had still not called Christine. He usually called her during the day. She called him and did not get an answer so she called Jo. "Danville," Jo answered.

"Jo, this is Christine. Is Mac there at the office?"

"No. I haven't seen him since this morning. I figured he went home."

"I can't get him on the phone. This may sound silly, but he usually calls."

"Maybe he's getting some rest. He looked dead tired this morning."

"He was. He didn't sleep last night."

"Well, maybe he's sleeping now."

"Maybe you're right. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Oh, it's no problem."

Jo ended the call and thought about that. She had thought Mac would be back there to tell whatever he found out from Ella. Maybe he did not find anything. She did not even know that there was anything to find.

By that evening, Christine was really getting worried because Mac had not called and he was not answering. Then again, she knew that if he had fallen asleep, he might be like he was before and could not wake up.

When Mac woke up, he felt his phone vibrating and heard it ringing. He did not get it in time and looked to see that he had twelve missed calls on his phone. He looked at the time…6:00 pm. He could not believe it. He got off the bed unable to believe that he had slept all day. He dialed Christine's number as he was going out the motel room door.

Christine was surprised to see that it was Mac calling her. "Mac!" she said as she answered. "Where are you? Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, Christine," Mac said sleepily. "I've been asleep. I just woke up."

"I've been so worried but I'm glad you got some sleep."

"I still feel tired but I have to get out of here."

"Where are you?"

"Oh, it's a long story. I'll tell you when I get there."

"Are you picking me up?"

"Yes, I can get there in time. I have to go."

"Okay. See you in a while."

"Yes."

Mac ended the call and rubbed his face. He had to check out of this hotel. He went to the office not noticing that someone was taking pictures of him. He checked out of the hotel and went to his truck. He blew out a breath and wished he felt more alert but he had to get back home. He headed back to Manhattan and thought he would probably be up all night after that long sleep. He supposed all that sleep loss just finally caught up with him.

Mac arrived at Christine's restaurant when it was just about time for her to come out. He parked and called her to let her know he was there. "I'll be out soon," Christine said. "I'm bringing our dinner."

"Great," Mac said. He had to admit he was hungry. He had not eaten since that morning.

Christine soon came out. She kissed Mac when she got into the truck. "I've been so worried about you," she said. "Where were you?"

"Well, I went to see Ella and she said Quinn did have something to do with the theft and those packages but she didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I was going to go and tell Jo what she said but I got so sleepy I had to stop at a motel and sleep. I didn't wake up until six o'clock."

"You slept in a motel?"

"I had to. I couldn't go any further. I was afraid I would wreck and kill myself and someone else."

"Well I'm glad you got some rest."

"Me too. I was beginning to think I knew how a zombie feels."

"I brought our dinner and we're going to enjoy the evening."

"Did you tell Jo that I called?"

"Yes. I had everyone worried but since you didn't call…"

Mac looked at her. "Do I have you spoiled?" he asked.

"If that's what you call it. I miss you during the day."

"I miss you too. I just didn't wake up."

"Oh I know."

They went home and ate their dinners that Christine had brought. Mac called Jo and told her what had happened, and what he had learned from Ella. "Do you believe her?" Jo asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "I think she was really being honest this time."

"Well, we could get Quinn for participating in that robbery or for not reporting it. It certainly ought to be enough to keep her out of this lab."

"I don't know. All we have is Ella's word. I doubt it would hold up in court against Quinn."

"If you could get Quinn to admit it."

"She practically did but she said she had nothing to do with that robbery. Even Ella said Quinn told her she had to give it back."

"We'll figure something else out."

"Okay, but I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"I won't be here in the morning, but good night."

"Night."

Mac ended the call and went into the bedroom where Christine was standing wrapped in a towel. She held up one of her negligees. "What color is this?" she asked.

Mac stared at the negligee. He touched the lac. "I knew it yesterday," he said. "It's like it's right on the tip of my tongue and I can't say it."

"Think hard. Yesterday you remembered. How did you feel when you remembered?"

Mac thought a moment. "I was thinking about how sexy you would look in that and I thought a blue one would…" Mac looked at her.

"You remembered blue. Which one is blue?"

Mac looked at the lingerie and then at Christine. "Your eyes are blue," he said and kissed her. He touched her face. "You make me remember." He looked at the towel around her. "That towel is pink."

"How can you remember just because it's on me?" she asked.

"I don't know. You make my heart pound. Maybe it gives me better circulation."

Christine almost laughed. "What?" she asked.

Mac mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Well, you know I have to have good circulation if I want to make you make all those noises."

"Noises?"

"Yeah. You know."

"Mac Taylor." Christine held up the negligee again. "I think you should remember this color."

Mac looked at it again and closed his eyes. "I can't remember," he said. "It's the same color as the boxers I wore last night."

"Right. You told me what color they were last night in the bathroom. What did you say?"

Mac considered that. "Yours was blue and mine was…it was…" Mac closed his eyes and thought hard. "I can't remember."

"Well, you'll remember again. Get the brain exercises and we'll do them tonight while we sit in bed."

"Okay."

Mac went and got the Ipad that he used for the brain exercises. He hated doing them because it made him feel dumb. The things he could not remember were so simple he just did not know why he could not remember. It was things he had been knowing all his life almost. He took a shower and then got in bed.

"Okay," Christine said. "Let's get started."

Mac frowned. "Whatever you say."

Christine looked at him. "Mac, don't be like that. You were like that before but look what happened once you started trying and accepting."

"This time is different."

"No it's not."

"Just go on with it."

They did the colors first. Mac typed in Yellow, Pink and Blue because he knew them now. "Why can't I remember the other ones?" he asked.

"You 'did' remember this one," Christine said. "Just think."

Mac stared at the colors one at a time. Christine had put on the lingerie. "Do you remember?" she asked.

Mac shook his head. "No, but it's beautiful on you anyway."

Christine stroked his cheek. "Mac don't feel like you're failing. You can overcome this."

"Christine this is kindergarten stuff," Mac said.

"Do you realize what you went through? You were struck by lightning, Mac. That's something that most people don't survive. I'm just thankful that you're here. It's a big deal, Mac."

"Christine, I just…" Mac was not sure what he wanted to say.

"Let's do some more of these."

They worked on the exercises for over an hour. Mac was not very enthusiastic about the whole thing and Christine thought that was one reason he was not remembering more. Mac lay down in the bed and stared at the window. _At least I know I'm looking at the moon out there, _he thought.

Christine got back into the bed and put her arm around Mac. "Cheer up," she said.

Mac sighed. "I don't feel cheerful," he said.

"Come on and turn over this way."

Mac frowned but he turned over to face her. She kissed him passionately. "I love you," she whispered. She did not give him time to answer. She wanted to make him forget his problems. She climbed on top of him and reached to the drawer in the nightstand. She took out the handcuffs with red feathers on them.

"What are you doing?" Mac asked unable to keep from smiling.

"I've been wanting to put these on you."

"Christine…"

Christine leaned over him. "You're under arrest…no resisting."

"But I…"

"Nope. No arguing. I'll have to keep you longer."

Christine put one of the cuffs on Mac's wrist. Mac could not help but laugh. "You're not really going to cuff me, are you?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Christine asked. "Then I can have my way with you."

"I thought you always did."

"No, your hands wander."

Christine put the other cuff through the bars on the bed and then cuffed his other wrist. "You're gonna cuff both?" Mac asked.

"I just did," Christine said. She smiled as she leaned over him. "Now, you're all mine," she whispered and bit his neck.

"Are you a vampire now?"

"Oooh, I think it's working now."

"You think?"

Christine kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Mac thought this was as erotic as when they were in the water at the cabin. He felt as though he was lost in Christine's movements and touches.

The next morning, they slept through the alarm. When Christine saw the time, she gasped. "Mac, wake up!" she said. "It is almost nine o'clock!"

Mac looked at the clock. "Oh no," he said. He rubbed his face. "I think I was better off when I couldn't sleep."

"No, you weren't," Christine replied. She got out of bed. "So, how did you like it?"

Mac smiled. "It was great. I'll cuff you next time."

"Oh no."

"You mean you won't let me cuff you?"

"No!" Christine giggled as she ran into the bathroom.

Mac smiled. He had actually enjoyed that. He looked at his wrists which had definite evidence that he had been cuffed. He thought he better wear a long sleeve to hide that. He could not imagine what Jo and the others would say if they knew he was cuffed to the bed. He did not intend to dress up today. He would wear jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt today. After all, he was not really heading the crime lab anymore.

Mac dropped Christine off at the restaurant and then went to the lab. He could not work but he liked to see what was going on, and he still had paperwork to do. He frowned as he thought of the fact that he could not even go to a crime scene. He enjoyed his job, even though it was grim. He liked being a detective.

Mac walked out of the elevator at the lab and headed to his office. Danny came out of the lab. "Morning, Mac," he said. "How's everything this morning?"

"Okay, I guess," Mac replied. "You working on anything?"

"Yeah. Still the same case. We still haven't found that husband."

"Well, good luck."

"Did you see the paper this morning?"

"No. Christine and I overslept. I didn't have time for the paper."

Danny rocked back and forth on his feet. Mac looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"They've got a story in the paper," Danny said.

"What kind of story?"

"It's by that Jennifer Walsh."

Mac reached for the paper that Danny was holding. His sleeve slid up a little. "Hey, what happened to your wrist?" Danny asked.

Mac jerked his sleeve down. "Nothing," he said. He opened the paper and looked at the front page:

_**THE TRUTH ABOUT DETECTIVE MAC TAYLOR**_

_Is he as honest as we think? We trust him with the crime lab but does he deserve it…_

Mac looked at Danny. "What is this about?" he asked.

"The rest is on page three," Danny said.

Mac turned to page three:

_According to a very reliable source, Detective Mac Taylor (the head of the crime lab) is having mental issues since he was struck by lightning while on his honeymoon in the mountains. He has trouble remembering things. Is he reliable on a case? Is he compromising the integrity of the lab? Sources say that even Internal Affairs has questions about this…yet Detective Taylor is still the head of the crime lab. Is this the kind of leader we need? Is he being protected by the department? Not only this, but another source declares that he is not a one woman man. Is Detective Taylor a player? Find out tomorrow when I continue this in depth look at the man who leads the New York Crime lab._

Mac crumpled up the paper. "What is this?" he asked.

"I don't know," Danny said.

"This is trash!"

"I know, but Mac, this is the Sunday paper. Everyone reads it! What is she talking about…a player?"

Mac rubbed his face. "I have to calm down before I go see this woman," he said.

Mac went on to his office. Danny sighed. He wished he knew what to tell Mac. He knew that reporter did not get that crap from this lab. The lab was a skeleton crew today. He was the only one of the team there except Adam who was in the computer lab. Danny went in there. "Adam, did you see the paper this morning?" he asked.

"I glanced at it," Adam replied.

"Did you see that write-up about Mac?"

"I saw the part on the front page. I didn't look at the rest."

"We need to find out who Ms. Walsh's source is."

"How?"

"I don't know. Work on it."

Danny saw Mac leave his office. "I'll see you later, Adam," Danny said. He ran from the computer lab and went after Mac. "Hey, where you going?"

"To see Jennifer Walsh," Mac said. "I don't need you tagging along."

"Okay." Danny folded his arms and stood beside Mac to wait for the elevator.

Mac rolled his eyes. He supposed he would have a tag-along whether he wanted one or not. He was going to get to the bottom of this before it became a bottomless pit…


	22. Chapter 22

Mac and Danny got into Mac's truck and headed for the newspaper office. "What are you going to do?" Danny asked.

"I'm going to ask her where she got this information."

"She's not going to tell you."

"She may not but she's going to know that she is under the microscope too."

"I hope you don't give her more ammunition."

Mac looked at him with a frown. "What could be worse? And I want to know what else she thinks she has on me."

Danny hoped he could stop this but he knew that people did not want to give up some juicy gossip that came across the wire, especially if they thought they could get a big story going with it. What could be bigger than the head of the crime lab being found incompetent or unfaithful to his wife?

Christine was in her office looking through her mail for the restaurant…or that's what it was supposed to be. She came to a yellow envelope that had her name on it. She opened it and took out the contents. She was surprised that there were pictures in the envelope. There was a picture of Mac's truck parked in front of a motel and another car beside it. Then there was a picture of Mac coming out of the room…but then there was a picture of that red-headed woman…Quinn, and she appeared to either be going in or coming out of the same room. There was another picture of her smiling as she appeared to be coming out and walking to her car. There were pictures of them both getting in their vehicles.

Christine could not believe what she was seeing. Sandra came into the office then. Christine shoved the pictures into a drawer and slammed it shut. "Sandra," she said with surprise. "Is there something wrong?"

"Have you seen the paper?" Sandra asked.

"No. I didn't have time. Why?"

"Well, I thought you ought to see if before we put it out there for the guests."

Christine looked at the ad that Sandra pointed out. She could not believe what she was seeing. She looked at Sandra. "I'm sorry, Christine," Sandra said.

"I uhm…no, don't put this out there," Christine said. "Just tell them there won't be an issue today if they ask."

"For what it's worth, I don't believe a word of that."

"Well, it means a lot for you to say that," Christine said.

"Most people won't believe it. Don't worry."

Sandra left the office and Christine closed the door. She had to tell Mac about these pictures. She got her phone and dialed Mac's number…

Mac was walking into the newspaper office when his phone rang. He knew it was Christine calling but he would have to call her back. He went on into the office and told the receptionist that he wanted to see Jennifer Walsh.

Mac and Danny waited while the receptionist called to let someone know they were there. When she hung up, she told them to come with her. She led them through a doorway to the newsroom. They soon came to an office with Jennifer Walsh's name on the door.

"Wow. She has her own office," Danny remarked.

"So do I," Mac replied.

The receptionist led them into the office and Jennifer was waiting for them. "Well, Detective Taylor," she said. "Come on in. Have a seat."

Mac and Danny sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "This should be an interesting conversation," Jennifer said.

"Why do you think that?" Mac asked.

"You can answer to these accusations."

"You get this straight: I don't answer to ridiculous accusations like that…and if you value your career, you should check your facts before you report something."

"Trust me, Detective Taylor, I got that information from a very good source."

"Who?"

"You know I can't tell you that. But you can give me your story."

"My medical situation is none of your business. Everyone knows I was struck by lightning. I'm still recovering from that and I'm not investigating any cases right now. You can tell them that. And I am getting some time off to recover which would be easier without people like you causing me stress."

"What about the other accusations?" Jennifer asked.

"That is ridiculous. I just got married and I love my wife. I don't need anybody else. I don't know where you got that story from but it's ridiculous."

"Where were you yesterday between ten a.m. and six p.m.?"

Mac scowled. "I was sleeping," he said.

"Sleeping?"

"Yes. I'm having some sleep problems and I was sleeping."

"Anyone can vouch for that?"

Mac frowned. "No. Christine was at work. What is this about?"

"Well, I've had a report about you being seen at a motel with a certain red head."

Mac stared at her a moment. "Are you kidding?" he asked.

"No. Were you at a motel?"

"If I was, it is none of your business. And I have not been anywhere with anyone like that."

"If what you're telling me is true, someone sure is out to get you."

"Who?"

"I can't say but you better be careful who you're seen with."

"I wasn't with anybody."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

Mac frowned. "You're making a big mistake," he said.

Danny did not know what to think of all this but Jo had told him what Mac did the day before. He had gotten so sleepy he had to stop and sleep. Now, someone was trying to make something else out of it. He wished he had gone with Mac that day but they were working on a case.

"I was promised evidence so I'm still waiting for it," Jennifer said.

"What evidence?" Mac asked.

"I don't know but I guess I'll find out."

"You better not print this story. If you do, you're going to regret it and you're going to ruin your career just because you want to ruin mine."

"Is that what you think?" Jennifer asked amused. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me? Because I wouldn't give you the story you wanted?"

"That's quite a theory. Talk about a story with no proof."

"Well, you're letting someone cause you to make a big mistake."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Can't you let me see the evidence before you print that?" Mac asked.

"Why? You just said it wasn't true."

"It's not and maybe I can save you some embarrassment."

"I have a hard time believing that you care about my embarrassment. Maybe your own?"

Mac shook his head. "Why would you want to embarrass me?" he asked.

"I want to know what's really going on. I keep hearing all this stuff about you and I know Internal Affairs is investigating you. Are you really fit to head the crime lab anymore?"

Mac just sat there a moment. He had been asking himself that question. "Of course he is," Danny declared. "Do you know how many low lifes he has put away?"

"That doesn't matter," Jennifer said. "What matters is what he's doing now."

"He's trying to recover! You got any idea what it's like to be struck by lightning?"

"No. Do you?"

"No, but I've read plenty and I've seen it. It takes time to get over it. We're lucky Mac is even here."

"Okay, that's enough," Mac interrupted. He stood up and pointed at Jennifer. "You've been warned."

Mac and Danny walked out of that office. "Are you going to let her go ahead and do this?" Danny asked.

"No, I'm going to the chief. She can't print stories about my medical condition. I'll go to a judge."

Mac thought about calling Christine but he could not while he was driving. He would have to call her later. He had to stop Jennifer Walsh from printing anything else and he wondered where she was getting that information. No one was supposed to leak that.

When Mac got to the precinct, he was practically leaving Danny behind. "Mac, wait up!" Danny said.

Mac just kept on walking to the elevator. Danny walked up beside him. "Go back to the lab, Danny," Mac said.

"I want to go with you," Danny said. "I want to witness everything."

"I appreciate that but I don't need a witness in the chief's office."

"Yes you do."

"Danny, don't make me give you an order."

"Technically you can't do that."

Mac looked at him. "But out of respect, you would take it anyway."

Danny frowned. "That's cold."

"Just go."

"Don't run off without me."

"When I get out of there, I'll probably come to the lab, or I'll go see Christine."

"Let me know."

"Okay."

Christine was pacing around in her office waiting for Mac to call. She knew she was not going to be any good to anyone today, but the other three were there today and they could handle it. She decided she would just go to the lab and see Mac instead of waiting for him to call.

Mac went up to the chief's office and he was waiting in the waiting room. He hated sitting there waiting and wondered why he had to wait sometimes. He did not think the chief was that busy. He thought maybe he should try to become the chief. Then he could sit in an office all day. He frowned at that thought. He did not want to sit in an office all day…that was the problem.

Soon the chief called Mac in. "Detective Taylor, I thought you were taking some time off," Chief Burns said. "You just can't stay away from here, can you?"

"Chief, did you see the paper?" Mac asked.

"I glanced at it."

"You need to do more than glance."

Chief Burns got the paper that he always had in his office. "What am I supposed to see?" he asked.

"That story about me," Mac said. "The rest is on page three."

The chief read the article while Mac waited impatiently. He looked at Mac. "Is there no end to your trouble?" he asked.

"Chief, that is a lot of bologna," Mac declared. "You have to stop this story."

"Mac don't you remember 'freedom of the press'?"

"She can't print stories about my medical condition. That is a violation of my privacy."

Chief Burns scowled. "You're right about that," he agreed. "But as far as this other…what have you done?"

"Nothing!"

"Then why are you worried? If you didn't do anything, you have nothing to worry about."

"Chief, what people think…"

"Doesn't matter. They'll think what they want anyway. Don't you think you should be more worried about what your wife thinks?"

"She knows that's not true."

"Don't worry, someone out there will look into it and find out it's not true. Believe me, there are those who want to investigate both ways."

Mac sighed. "Chief, they're trying to destroy my career and my reputation."

"Mac, that has been tried before. They won't succeed this time either. You're too good and honest."

Mac looked at him. He had not known the chief had so much respect for him. "You're practically one in a million, Taylor," Chief Burns went on. "This city would be foolish to throw you way over this, and I don't think it's foolish."

Mac knew he was not having much faith in the people he served…and he knew Christine would be behind him. He just dreaded the stares and the questions. He stood up. "Okay," he said. "I'll go home."

"Why don't you finish your paperwork? Stop worrying."

"I'll try."

Mac left that office and went to the lab. "What did he say?" Danny asked.

"He said not to worry about it," Mac replied.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm not gonna worry about it."

"You've got something up your sleeve, right?"

"No."

Danny folded his arms. "Well, Christine is in your office."

Mac looked toward his office and saw Christine standing in there. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

As he headed for the office, he knew she could not be here this time of day for nothing. "Christine," he said when he went in.

Christine looked at him. "Where have you been?" she asked. "I tried to call you."

"Danny and I had to go…I'll tell you that later. What's going on?"

"Have you seen the paper?"

"Yes. That's where I've been."

"Mac, I have something else to show you."

"What?"

Christine sat down on the couch and Mac sat beside her. She opened the envelope and took the pictures out. "This was delivered to the restaurant this morning," she said.

Mac looked at the pictures. "Who sent these?" he asked.

"I don't know. There was no name, address or note."

Mac frowned as he looked through the pictures. "You don't think there's anything to this, do you?" he asked.

"No, but what are other people going to think? How did this happen?"

Mac rubbed his face. "I went to see Ella McBride in jail," he said. "When I came out, Quinn was out there in the parking lot. I left there and I stopped at the motel. I didn't know anything else until that evening. All I know is she must have seen my truck out there and stopped. She always wanted to have an affair with me. It's ridiculous that she would be that desperate."

"Surely she wouldn't. She's a detective."

Mac leaned back on the couch. "The chief says that no one is going to believe this crap but I don't know. I warned Jennifer Walsh not to print that. This must be the evidence she's waiting for."

"What are you going to do?" Christine asked.

"There's nothing I can do. She's not breaking any laws. I'm a public figure in this city and they have a right to know if there's a problem."

"Mac, you are a person too. What about your privacy?"

Mac shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'm just going to retire," he said.

"You can't until you clear this up."

Mac looked at her. "How?" he asked.

"Go to that hotel and ask the attendant to write you a statement. Take someone with you."

Mac had to admit he was not thinking much like a detective. "I guess you're right, but Quinn must have already thought of that."

"Try anyway."

"I'm sorry about all this, Christine."

"It's not your fault. Get up and be a detective and figure this out." Christine stood up. "I have to go and be a chef."

Mac stood up and kissed her. "I'll see you later," he said.

Mac watched until Christine got into the elevator. He looked at the pictures in his hand and thought about what Christine said. He was Detective Mac Taylor and he would get to the bottom of this. He headed into the lab where Danny was.

"Get Adam in here," Mac said.

Danny could tell by the look on Mac's face that something was about to happen. He hurried to the computer lab. "Adam, Mac wants you in there," Danny said.

"I couldn't find anything," Adam said.

"Forget that. Come on."

Adam and Danny went to the lab where Mac was waiting. Mac laid the pictures and envelope on the table. "Dust these for prints, analyze them, whatever," Mac said. "I want to know everything you can tell me about these."

"Yes, sir," Adam replied and grabbed his lab coat.

Mac looked at Danny. "You're with me," Mac said and turned to head to the elevator.

"I'm coming," Danny said. He had not seen Mac like this in a while but he was glad to see it…


	23. Chapter 23

**Hope you all like this last chapter. Not sure there will be a sequel to this story. Maybe some reviews could tell me if there should be another one. :) Thanks for reading. miss37**

Mac drove over to the motel that he had stayed in the day before. He and Danny went into the office. The man at the desk recognized mac when he walked in.

"You back again?" the man asked.

"Yes," Mac replied. He showed the man his badge.

"Hey, I haven't done anything illegal."

"No, I'm not here about anything like that. I came to ask you if you will give a statement that I was here alone yesterday."

The man stared at Mac a moment. "Why?" he asked.

"Someone's trying to say that I was here with a woman."

The man chuckled at that. "Man, the way you looked when you walked in here, I doubt you could have entertained a woman."

"But you know I was here alone."

"Yeah. As far as I know."

Mac showed him a picture of Quinn. "Did you see that woman around here?" he asked.

The man put his glasses on and looked at the picture. "Yes, I saw her out in the parking lot," he said. "She was taking pictures or something. I figured she was a reporter." He could see the angry look on Mac's face. "Why?"

Mac looked at him. "You never saw her with me."

"No. I saw her sitting out there taking pictures and then she even set the camera up, or cell phone, and then walked over to the building. I thought it looked weird myself."

Danny was writing all this down in his notepad. "Can you write all this down for us in a signed statement?" he asked.

"Sure. Why?"

"Because this woman is trying to make my boss here look guilty of something he's not. We'll need your name, address, and stuff like that."

"My name is Al. I used to be a cop. Sure I'll do it."

Mac looked at Al. "You were a cop?" he asked.

"Yeah, over in Buffalo. When I retired I decided to move over here. I bought this motel and here I am."

"Why didn't you go out and see what she was doing?"

"She was just taking pictures."

"I'll get a notebook," Danny said and went out the door.

Mac looked at Al. "You weren't curious as to what she was doing?" he asked.

"Well, this is not exactly The Ritz. If I ran out there every time I saw something weird, I would be doing more work than I did when I was a cop. If I see something illegal, I report it. I keep this motel clean."

Mac nodded. "Yes, I agree."

Danny came back in with a notebook. "I guess you know we need a detailed summary," he said. "What was she wearing?"

Mac frowned at that. He knew what she had been wearing but he could not confirm the colors. She had not been wearing any of the colors he could remember. He wished he had tried to make it home or called someone to come and get him. Then again, he could not have known that he would sleep all day or that someone would try to turn something so innocent into a plot against him.

Al wrote down his statement. "The thing I don't understand is why such a pretty woman like her would do this," he said.

Mac nodded. "I don't either," he said. "Thanks for your cooperation."

"Any time."

Mac and Danny went out to the Avalanche after they got the statement. "Well, that should do it," Danny said. "How did she think she could get away with this?"

"She knows that people won't go into the whole picture. They'll just go by what they see. And what they would see is me coming out of a motel room, and then Quinn apparently coming out of the same one, our vehicles parked beside each other."

"Yeah, I see your point. She wants people to think you've been messing around with her all these years? I don't get it."

"I don't either but there must be more to it than that."

"Maybe she just wants to ruin you so you'll be out of the crime lab. If I can't have that job, you can't either…something like that?"

"I don't know, Danny, but I'm getting tired of the whole thing."

"I can imagine."

Mac drove back to the lab. When they got up to the lab, Adam met them with some information. "I analyzed the photos," he said. "No prints, but the pictures were authentic. I even found out where they were developed. I called the guy and he remembered the woman who brought in her cell phone and developed them. It was definitely Quinn Shelby."

"Well, she took them at the motel too," Mac said. "We need to make a copy of this statement and take it to Jennifer Walsh and see what she thinks now."

"I'll take it to her," Danny volunteered.

"Let's make a copy."

Mac made a copy of the paper and gave it to Danny. "That should convince her," he said. "But I think I should take it. You're not supposed to be working for me."

"Mac, I have practically nothing to do but reports and other paper work and I can take the time."

"Fine. Hurry back."

Danny left and Mac went back to his office. He sat down at his desk to work on paperwork. He hoped that silly situation with Quinn would be over now. He worked on paperwork until Danny came back. "I delivered it personally," Danny said.

"And?" Mac asked.

"I think she got the picture that she had been used. As a matter of fact, I think Quinn Shelby might find herself in the paper."

Mac tried not to smile at that. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I'm just gonna work on this paperwork till lunch and then I'll be gone."

"Maybe you can get some sleep at home."

"Hopefully."

Mac answered the text that Christine sent and let her know that he would be there for lunch. When that time came, he waved to Danny as he was going to the elevator. He went up to the chief's office and gave him a copy of Al's statement. Mac was glad he had that over with. If he could get the trouble with his memory and everything fixed, he would be okay. He was not sure how to fix that problem.

Christine saw Mac coming in when he arrived at the restaurant. She had to smile as she thought of how special she had felt when he would come all the way down there to see her. She watched him smile when he saw her and came over to the counter. She could not believe she still felt almost shy. She thought she would get over that after they were married but she found herself wondering what he saw in her.

"Hi," Mac said as he leaned on the counter.

Christine leaned over and kissed him. She looked into his eyes and thought he must be the most handsome man on the planet. "Hi," she said.

"You look happy."

"I'm always happy when I see you."

Mac smiled and kissed her again. "Well, I got that mess with the hotel straightened out," he said.

"How?"

"I did what you said. I went to that motel manager and got his statement."

"And that just cleared it all up?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad. So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going home after I leave here and maybe I'll clean the apartment and have a good dinner ready."

"Are you going to serve it nude again?"

Mac smile brightened as Christine laughed. "Do you want me to?" he asked.

"Well, I kinda liked that?"

"Oh you did?"

"Yes."

"You liked me in your apron?"

"Oh, that was the best."

"You laughed at me."

"That was just happiness."

Mac stroked her hand with his finger. "So, when is your break?" he asked.

"After lunch."

"Are you gonna call me to the office again?"

Christine could not help but laugh. "If we keep doing that, people are gonna get suspicious," she said.

"Suspicious of what?" Mac asked and kissed her hand.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"You know that gives me goose bumps."

"Where?"

"Mac Taylor. I'll get your lunch."

Mac laughed to himself. He had not been so happy in years. He loved the way her eyes smiled when she was happy. Her hair was like silk and he loved the way she looked in those jeans she was wearing. Mac rubbed his face. He thought he was truly infatuated. He thought he had stayed infatuated with Claire. He had loved her more all the time.

Christine came back with Mac's lunch which was a plate of spaghetti. "Oh, you're gonna make me have to work out more," Mac said.

"I like to watch."

"Maybe I'll do it nude."

Christine grabbed her mouth as she laughed out loud. She looked around her as some people looked at her. Mac was laughing silently. "You just wait till I get you home," Christine whispered.

"Are you going to cuff me to the bed again?" Mac whispered.

"Eat your lunch."

Mac took a bite of the spaghetti and watched Christine go back into the kitchen. He did not know what they would do tonight but he was sure it would be fun. He loved the adventure he had with Christine and he still wanted to go away with her but he thought he should go over there to that cabin and see about it before he took her over there. He had not been there in a few years. It was not just a run down old cabin, but it was not as modern as the one they had stayed in for their honeymoon.

After the lunch rush, Christine sat down beside Mac. "I am tired," she said.

"I can imagine you are," Mac said. "I'm tired from just watching you."

"Are you? Too tired to go to the office?"

Mac smiled and sipped his soda. "I don't think I would ever be too tired for that."

"I think I am but I would love to cuddle a while."

"Do you want me to be your teddy bear?"

"Absolutely."

Mac and Christine went to her office. Mac lay down on the couch. "Come on," he said.

Christine got on the couch with him and relaxed in his arms. "This is great," she said.

"Good. I'm thinking I might go up to the cabin and check it out and get it ready and you come up later."

"But, Mac, it will be another week before I can go."

"I didn't say I was going today. I might go Tuesday and get things fixed up for you."

"Are you going to drive over there?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet."

"How long would that take?"

Mac considered that. "Well, if I had one of those spells where I couldn't sleep, I guess I could drive all night."

"Oh, Mac, maybe you should fly out there."

"I would like to have my truck. We're going to be there a long time."

"You have a point. It would take you a long time to drive there though."

"Yeah, probably three or four days."

"I would miss you."

"And I would miss you, but it wouldn't be a long time."

"You're really going Tuesday?"

Mac nodded. "I think I should."

"Well, we better get all the togetherness we can get."

"We will. I'll be ready for you tonight."

"And I'll be ready for you."


End file.
